A Fine Sinhalese Kandyan Knife / Piha-Kaetta
A Fine Sinhalese Kandyan Knife / Piha-Kaetta
Kingdom of Kandy, Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
18th century
Elephant ivory, silver, brass, steel
Blade: 16,5cm
Hilt & Blade: 27,9cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: -cm
Collection Date: 2022
Collection Number: 272
A beautiful piha- kaetta knife from the old Kingdom of Kandy, now Sri Lanka. These knives are known for their intricately carved hilts and detailed silver ornamentation. This one features a single- edged blade with a deep fuller spanning half of the blade length, curving downward toward the point.
Finely aged orange tinted elephant ivory hilt with liya-pata (floral work), silver rivets, and silver embossed decoative foil on the pommel. Old remnants of gold are seen in the background of the silver swirls. Floral ornamented brass collar in the form of a crown.
This piha- kaetta's blade was heavily rusted and pitted when acquired and received extensive cleaning to remove all the active rust present. It turned out to be a great representation of the type.