Sword "pada", "pade"

Estimated Value:

2.500 € - 3.500 €

Result:

incl. Premium and VAT

Description:

East Indonesia, Sulawesi or Maluku, Alfuren, 18th century or older
L. 83 cm
Steel, wood, horn, hair (human). The sword presented here is a very beautiful and well-preserved example of a pade or bada/pade. The blade can almost certainly be described as South Sulawesi work, while the hilt represents a Maluku type. Swords of this type are documented in the ‘Spice Islands’ and North Sulawesi (Minahasa) as early as the 16th century (e.g. through depictions in the Boxer Codex), but probably have a much longer history (see above). The relief-etched blade is made using a complex composite technique with a body consisting of two twisted rods. This technique is very elaborate and therefore rare. The cutting edge and spine are made of textured refined steel. The ‘ricasso’, i.e. the long thickened neck of the blade at the base before the cutting edge begins, can be useful for gripping with the second hand for strong blows, but is primarily a carrying aid, as pade were carried freely in the hand or over the shoulder (similar to an axe) as a weapon, but also as a ‘sign of dignity’ and did not require a sheath. The long handle, which is pulled downwards at the back, is made of medium-hard wood. It is set off from the blade by a small horn plate, the short handle is irregularly entwined with fine rattan bands. The rear part is made of dark buffalo horn. A tuft of human hair is attached to an eyelet at the end, indicating the context of headhunting.
Collected from an old German private collection since the 1950s - Handwritten collection number: 414
The derivation of the term pada, which refers to front-heavy, single-edged slashing blades in the greater ‘Celebes Sea’ area, is unclear. It can be assumed that it goes back to the Indian word pata or patta (in Mahrati and Hindi), which in turn is related to the Greco-Roman word spatha, ‘sword’. Our piece probably dates from the 17th or 18th century, as its provenance from a private collection can be traced back around 140 years. However, the beautiful age patina suggests an even greater age. The population of the Moluccas consists mainly of Malays and smaller ethnic groups (Pagu and Tidore speakers), who were formerly referred to collectively as Alfurs. Melanesian and Australoid characteristics are still noticeable, not least in the anthropological habitus. The local population was called Alfuren or Halifuren / Alifura by Arabs and early European colonisers. There is therefore no precise ethnological classification associated with ‘Alfuren’

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