Description:

Sword "surik"
Indonesia East, Timor, Central, Belu / Tetum, early 19th cent.
L. 111 cm (115,5 cm mit Haaren)
Steel, horn, wood, hair (goat). A very rare, outstanding surik sword from Central Timor, which played a major role as an object of prestige among the Tetum. It embodies status and warriorism per se. Curved swords like this one are common among the Tetum, while the Atoni, who were partially displaced by them, prefer the typologically older, straight swords. However, the symbolic content is similar. The term surik is derived from Sanskr. curiga, “sword”, other derivatives are corik or sonri. The single-edged, fullered back blade is a French or German sabre blade from the early 19th century, which was imported to the archipelago on a large scale. The blades were often shortened for practical reasons; the full sabre length (cavalry sabre) is rarely found. The large handle is made of dark buffalo horn. The shape with a pronounced pyramidal pommel is typical of Central Timor and bears red-colored goat hair, probably from a sacrificial animal. The central “eye”, which can also be found on sword hilts in southern Philippine treasure finds from the 9th and 10th centuries, is clearly recognizable. The two-part wooden scabbard with the thickened scabbard mouth is covered with a thick, crusty, organic patina, which is probably a mixture of the blood of sacrificial animals, betel juice and alcoholic beverages - renowned, high-ranking swords like this one had to be propitiated by regular “sacrifices” with magically charged substances. The abstracted pommel is ultimately based on the hornbill or another symbolic animal. Swords of this type were only allowed to be carried by high-ranking warriors.
Collected from an old German private collection since the 1950s - Collection number: 06-1564

On Timor, the specialized warrior or champion, meo, is responsible for organizing and moderating the ritualized warfare and the taking of life according to the adat. Meo was a special warrior rank on Timor, both among the Tetum and the Atoni. Its symbol is the surik. The Malayo-Polynesian Tetum (also Tetun, formerly Belu), to whom this sword can be assigned, are the largest ethnic group in East Timor. In Indonesian West Timor, they make up a large part of the population in the government districts of Belu and Malaka. The Tetum are the largest ethnic group in East Timor with around 450,000 members and the second largest in West Timor with 500,000. They migrated to Timor in the 14th century, according to tradition from Malacca / Sumatra. This is probably the reason why they prefer curved blades (under Indo-Persian influence), while older ethnic groups tend to have straight swords. They first settled in the center of the island and displaced the Atoin Meto in the western part of Timor. Later they also advanced into the eastern part and successively founded four kingdoms, of which Wehale was the most powerful

Schwert "surik"
Indonesien Ost-, Timor, Zentral-, Belu / Tetum, frühes 19. Jh.
L. 111 cm (115,5 cm mit Haaren)
Stahl, Horn, Holz, Haare (Ziege). Ein sehr seltenes, herausragendes surik-Schwert aus Zentral-Timor, das als Prestigeobjekt bei den Tetum eine große Rolle spielte. Es verkörpert Status und Kriegertum per se. Gebogene Schwerter wie dieses sind bei den Tetum verbreitet, während die von diesen teilweise verdrängten Atoni die typologisch älteren, geraden Schwerter bevorzugen. Der Symbolgehalt ist jedoch ähnlich. Der Begriff surik leitet sich von sanskr. curiga, „Schwert, ab, andere Derivate sind corik oder sonri. Die einschneidige, gekehlte Rückenklinge ist eine französische oder deutsche Säbelklinge aus dem frühen 19. Jh., wie in größerem Stil in den Archipel importiert wurde. Oft wurden die Klingen aus praktischen Gründen gekürzt; die volle Säbellänge (Kavalleriesäbel) ist nur selten anzutreffen. Der große Griff ist aus dunklem Büffelhorn. Die Form mit pyramidalem ausgeprägtem Knauf ist typisch für Zentral

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]

December 9, 2024 9:30 AM CET
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 €