Sword Handle
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This handle for a sword (Mandau) from northern Borneo is carved from deer antler. A grip of plaited fiber covers the shaft. The handle has a projecting spur adorned with intertwining curvilinear motifs and terminates in the head of an aso — a protective dragon-like creature with long snout, curving boar-like tusks and a curling nose shown in low relief. The tip of the spur which aligns with the eye of the aso, the top of the short pommel, and upper portion of the spur all have holes drilled into them, originally intended for the insertion of decorative tufts of animal hair.
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