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Lot 90

A Singhalese silver kastane hilt
Ceylon, second half of the 18th Century

30 March 2021, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond Street

Sold for £2,550 inc. premium

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A Singhalese silver kastane hilt
Ceylon, second half of the 18th Century

with octagonal grip, knuckle guard and quillons, the pommel in the form of a lion head, the s-shaped guard with face of Rakasha and terminating in the head of a mythical bird, the quillons terminating in four makara heads, on stand
17 cm. long.; approx 310 g.

Footnotes

The kastane was carried by Kandyan kings, adigars and the dissawas. Originally fighting weapons, their short curved blade became increasingly non-functional as the sword became merely a symbol of status. The Dutch and British governments in Ceylon continued the tradition by awarding kastanes of varying degrees of quality depending on the rank of the recipient.

Additional information