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1884.24.243

Socketed spear head with two-edged leaf-shaped blade and cast ornamental mounting with animal figures. Traces of gilding. [LM 29/08/2007]

On display

1884.24.243

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Collection type
Object
Description
Socketed spear head with two-edged leaf-shaped blade and cast ornamental mounting with animal figures. Traces of gilding. [LM 29/08/2007]
Geographical reference
Myanmar (Burma)
Asia > South-eastern Asia > Myanmar (Burma)
Unknown
Date / Period
Date made: Possibly before 1874
Date collected
?By 1874
Acquisition information
Donated: 1884
Materials and processes
Material Iron Metal, Process Forged (Metal), Process Cast, Process Gilded
Dimensions
Length: max 510 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1884.24.243 PR Cat other PR nos: 1146
Research and responses

The following notes are drawn from research compiled by Andy Mills as part of the DCF Cutting Edge project in 2006-2007.

This spearhead from the founding collection has no provenance information attached to it, and little specific can be said about it. It appears to be of some form of iron, and is cast in one piece, from a three-piece mould – the two halves, and a third fillet to form the socket. Where the ferrule joins the blade, the head is decorated by two nicely styled chinthe or chinthei, leogryphs, or so called Buddhist ‘lions’. These images, with their heads turned back towards to the shaft in a nice compositional turn that promotes strength in the join, are the same as those which traditionally stand guard at the gates of temples and cities throughout the Buddhist world. The two lions are slightly different in the modelling of their tails. The Chinthe was of such cultural significance in historical Burma, that cities were occasionally laid out to symbolically reference their form, with the fortified citadel as the lion’s head; such symbolism was understood to promote steadfastness and strength in the resultant form. With this understood, and with the basic understanding of chinthes as powerful Buddhist symbols of divine guardianship, their presence on the spear here is readily understandable. [El.B 11/03/2008]

Search terms: Weapon, Tool, Figure, Knife, Dagger, Spear-head, Animal Figure