Replica of a Sinhalese Ceremonial Spearhead

This spearhead, made in Germany about 1875, is a cast iron replica of a unique 17th to early 18th century Sinhalese spearhead from the armory of the dukes of Saxony in Dresden. Several German foundries produced a wide range of cast iron replicas of works of art (called Eisenkunstguss in German), which were in vogue in Europe, Great Britain, and America throughout the 19th century. This spearhead was made by the Mägdesprung Eisenhüttenwerk, in the Harz mountain region of northwestern Germany, one of the few foundries that included replica armor and weapons among their products. The original in Dresden ranks among the most intricate and beautiful examples of Sinhalese ironwork in existence and was acquired for Duke Augustus the Strong of Saxony in 1727. The choice of a Sinhalese spearhead for replication in the 19th century is unusual, since nearly all other cast iron copies of arms in this genre were based on European models.

The intricate and densely arranged ornament on the spearhead features a standing deity, Kamadeva, holding his attributes of a bow made of sugarcane in one hand and a flowering arrow in the other. Below him a goddess (devi), possibly Sri or Lakshmi, sits cross-legged on a throne and with her hands raised to her shoulders. In each hand she holds a flower from which the half-figure of a woman emerges (nāri-latā). She is flanked by a mythological water creature, called a makara, on either side. Beneath the center of her throne is another female-flower figure (nāri-latā), which is flanked by a pair of large lion-bird figures (śerapēṉdiya), the tails of which comprise elaborate liya-pata foliage that fills the upturned fluke on each side. The bottom of each fluke and the top of the socket are supported on each side by a pair of makaras and stylized lions (siṃha) in the round with partial openwork. The column of the socket is formed of distinct bands or rings of different types of stylized lotus petals (palā-peti), other forms of foliate ornament, a band of stylized waves (diya-rẹla) and a band of lion masks. The number 3849, the iron foundry's pattern or product number, can be seen in the narrow ring at the very bottom of the socket.