Description:

Prestige sword "halasan", "piso gading"
Indonesia, Sumatra North, Batak, Toba-Batak, 18th/19th century
L. 62,5 cm
A heavy, imposing prestige knife. A traditional votive or dowry offering of high rank. Single-edged single-edged blade, precious metal-studded scabbard, and fluted ivory handle. The traditional name for this object, piso gading, refers to its most striking element, namely the extremely thick, tapered ivory handle, whose surface is divided lengthwise into concave sections (gading - ivory, literally "ivory knife"). The bars separating these sections are unfortunately slightly worn, presumably to provide a somewhat better grip. This probably occurred during the object's recent history. The patina in the concave surfaces represents the original condition. Handles of this type serve a purely representative function; the high density of the ivory alone results in an extremely "top-heavy" construction when carried, which disqualifies the piece as an everyday implement (part of traditional costume). The blade follows the typical goluk taka form; it is slender, strong, pointed at the back, and has a strongly thickened neck that curves backward. The refined structure testifies to its relatively advanced age (mid-19th century or earlier). The scabbard has the typical curved shape. Rather atypical for Toba wares is the material (silver alloy) of the fittings, which are cast in a lost-mold technique with great detail. The formerly thick carrying chain has been replaced with a thin brass chain. The thickened sections and spiral motifs are typical, and can be traced back to the mainland Bronze Age. The sheath body is wound with fine silver wire. The round gold inlay at the mouth of the sheath, with stylized Islamic script, suggests a high-ranking owner of the Muslim faith. This piece likely dates from the early 19th century, when some circles in the Batak region (via Minangkabau) converted to orthodox Islam. An old, high-ranking piece that likely served as a high-quality gift between clan representatives.
From an old German private collection, collected since the 1950s - The EU sales licence for this lot is available - This lot cannot be exported out of the European Union

Prestige-Messer "halasan", "piso gading"
Indonesien, Sumatra Nord-, Batak, Toba-Batak, 18./19. Jh.
L. 62,5 cm
Schweres, imposantes Prestige-Messer. Traditionelle Weihe- oder Morgengabe hohen Ranges. Einschneidige Rückenklinge, Edelmetall-beschlagene Scheide, Elfenbein-Griff mit Kannelierung. Die traditionelle Bezeichnung für dieses Objekt, piso gading, bezieht sich auf das wohl auffallendste Element, nämlich den extrem dicken taillierten Elfenbeingriff, dessen Oberfläche in konkave Felder längsgegliedert ist (gading - Elfenbein, also wörtl. „Elfenbein-Messer“). Die Stege, die diese Felder trennen, sind leider leicht abgearbeitet, wohl um einen etwas besseren Halt zu gewährleisten. Das wird wohl in der jüngeren Geschichte des Objektes geschehen sein. Die Patina in den konkaven Flächen repräsentiert den Originalzustand. Griffe dieser Art haben rein repräsentative Funktion; schon wegen der hohen Dichte des Elfenbeins ergibt sich ein extrem „kopflastiger“ Aufbau beim Tragen, der das Stück als Alltags- Implement (Trachtbestandteil) disqualifiziert. Die Klinge bewegt sich im Rahmen der üblichen goluk taka - Form, sie ist schlank, stark, rückenspitz und hat einen stark verdickten Hals, der nach hinten abgebogen ist. Die Raffinierstruktur legt Zeugnis vom relativ hohen Alter ab (Mitte 19. Jahrhundert oder älter). Die Scheide ist in der typischen gebogenen Form gehalten. Eher atypisch für Toba-Erzeugnisse ist das Material (Silberlegierung) der Beschläge, die sehr detailliert in verlorener Form gegossen sind. Die ehemals vorhandene dicke Tragekette ist durch eine dünne Messingkette ersetzt. Typisch sind die Verdickungen und Spiralmotive, die sich motivisch bis in die festländische Bronzezeit zurückverfolgen lassen. Der Scheidenkörper ist mit feinem Silberdraht umwunden. Die runde Goldeinlage am Sc

Accepted Forms of Payment:

American Express, MasterCard, Visa, Wire Transfer

Shipping

We do not offer inhouse packing and shipping services.

We are pleased to provide you with the following list of transport companies, which we can recommend based on many years of good experience and a longstanding cooperation. We kindly ask you to contact the companies directly to negotiate the terms of costs, insurance and the organization of the transport.

Export to countries outside the EU are subject to the restrictions of the UNESCO convention from 1970 and the European Agreement for the Protection of Cultural Heritage from 1993. Moreover, the cites regulations are applicable. Objects with materials such as ivory or tortoise shell require a permission for export into countries outside the EU contract area due to cites regulations. We point out that such a permission is usually not given. For exports within the EU the Act to Protect German Cultural Property against Removal (Kulturgutschutzgesetz) has been in force since 6th August 2016.


Eric Art Services
Beijing/Shanghai/Hong Kong
+86 10 8880 3001 (BJ)
+86 21 3103 2707 (SH)
+852 2204 1888 (HK)
[email protected]


Mailboxes etc. / MBE
Silke Klink & Marco Bittner
Friedrich-List-Str. 8
70771 Leinfelden-Echterdingen
+49 (0) 711 / 41170270
[email protected]


Matthias Fegers
Service for art and trade
Moldenweg 5
21339 Lüneburg
49 (0) 4131 / 727525
[email protected]


MuseumsPartner Kunstspedition GmbH
Pass-Thurn-Straße 25
6372 Oberndorf bei Kitzbühel
+43 5356 6950
[email protected]


A.V.M. Service and Transport
Alexander von Mertens
Römerstraße 32
70180 Stuttgart
+49 (0) 172 / 71 36 254
[email protected]

October 1, 2025 10:00 AM CEST
Stuttgart, Germany

Nagel Auction

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 32.5% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
0 € 19 € 5 €
20 € 179 € 10 €
180 € 299 € 20 €
300 € 359 € 30 €
360 € 399 € 40 €
400 € 899 € 50 €
900 € 999 € 100 €
1.000 € 1.999 € 100 €
2.000 € 2.999 € 200 €
3.000 € 3.599 € 300 €
3.600 € 3.999 € 400 €
4.000 € 9.999 € 500 €
10.000 € 19.999 € 1.000 €
20.000 € 29.999 € 2.000 €
30.000 € 35.999 € 3.000 €
36.000 € 39.999 € 4.000 €
40.000 € 99.999 € 5.000 €
100.000 € 199.999 € 10.000 €
200.000 € + 20.000 €