The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 20, 2025

Barong, a single-edged, leaf-shaped sword, with a striated silver metal blade. A cylindrical bronze handle extends up and curves to the side, transitioning to braided bands and capped with a dark-brown piece. A narrow strip extends across the top in an arcing diagonal line, the upper right side branching into curling scrolls. On the piece's body runs a pattern of alternating white triangles and two stacked dots. A winding, vine-like yellow-brown pattern decorates the blade.

Sword (Barong)

before 1916

Philippines

Blade: metal inlaid with brass; handle: metal with silver foil, braided wire, and repoussé work; pommel: wood with inlay
Overall: 68.3 cm (26 7/8 in.); Blade: 45.5 cm (17 15/16 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.730
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The cockatoo-shaped pommel symbolizes vigilance and status among the Moro people of the southern Philippines.

Description

This sword’s hilt is carved from a dense Philippine hardwood known as kamagong and takes the form of a stylized cockatoo (kakatua), a motif characteristic of Tausug and Yakan sword hilts. Its broad, leaf-shaped steel blade is single-edged at the base and double-edged near the tip, making it ideal for thrusting in both warfare and ceremony.
  • ?–1916
    Mr. Jeptha Homer Wade II [1857–1926], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Sword (Barong)|url=false|author=|year=before 1916|access-date=20 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.730