


Lot 217
A Singhalese ruby-set gilt-silver Kastane Ceylon, circa 1900(2)
25 October 2021, 11:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £5,355 inc. premium
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Shipping (UK)
A Singhalese ruby-set gilt-silver Kastane
Ceylon, circa 1900
Ceylon, circa 1900
the single-edged blade of curved form with octagonal grip, knuckle guard and quillons, the pommel in the form of a lion head, the s-shaped guard with face of Rakshasa and terminating in the head of a mythical bird, the quillons terminating in four makara heads, all profusely inlaid with rubies, the wood scabbard clad entirely in silver decorated in openwork repoussé with foliate motifs and inlaid with rubies in floral form to one side, the plain locket with rings, the chape terminating in with the face of Rakshasa
53 cm. long(2)
53 cm. long(2)
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.