The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 22, 2025

Kris, a sword with an asymmetrical, triangular base extending into a straight, silver metal blade with a rounded tip. The blade's triangular base cuts off into jagged edges on one side. A cylindrical hilt alternates between bronze colored and braided black bands, topped by a a light-yellow-brown piece that extends out in a diagonal flattened "S" shape. Two pieces of dark-bronze metal flank the hilt and fasten around the blade's base.

Sword (Kalis or Sundang)

before 1916

Philippines

Blade: metal; grip: brass ferrule and silver wire; pommel: ivory
Overall: 79.8 cm (31 7/16 in.); Blade: 60.4 x 3.9 cm (23 3/4 x 1 9/16 in.); Handle: 18 x 20 x 7.8 cm (7 1/16 x 7 7/8 x 3 1/16 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.744
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The asang-asang (“fish gill”) clamps at the blade’s base stabilize it while referencing the purifying quality attributed to fish gills.

Description

This sword features a long kalis blade with a straight profile and deep fuller running nearly the entire length. The hilt terminates in an enormous ivory pommel, a prestige marker associated with high-ranking ownership in the Sulu and Lake Lanao regions. The commanding blade, functional and symbolic clamps, silver-braided grip, and pommel identify this as an exceptional example of elite Moro weaponry used among the Tausug or Maranao groups in the southern Philippines.
  • ?–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 (Kalis or Sundang)|url=false|author=|year=before 1916|access-date=22 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.744