The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 27, 2025

Barong, a single-edged, leaf-shaped sword, with a striated silver metal blade occasionally tarnished with specks of dark-brown. A cylindrical bronze handle curves to one side, capped with an ivory colored piece like a narrow strip extending across the top in a diagonal line. Three braided bands wrap around the upper half of the hilt.

Sword (Barong)

c. 1800s

Philippines

Blade: steel; handle: silver with braided wire; pommel: ivory with carabao horn inlay
Overall: 64.2 cm (25 1/4 in.); Blade: 42 cm (16 9/16 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1916.754
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

The grip is made of carabao horn, a draft animal similar to the water buffalo.

Description

This sword has a broad, leaf-shaped blade characteristic of the Sulu Archipelago. Its profile suggests it was used for powerful cut-and-slash fighting. The ivory pommel, inlaid with black hardwood, takes the form of a stylized cockatoo (kakatua). This feature, along with the finely worked horn grip, indicates that this was a prestige weapon owned by a member of the warrior nobility.
  • ?–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=c. 1800s|access-date=27 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.754