Ivory Blade Carving Motif
1. Blade 59 cm, overall 81.5 cm. Ivory grip with iron pommel and ferrule. Overlay in silver and copper on pommel and ferrule in a floral design. Silver and copper overlay on the spine and flat of the blade forming a sinuous vegetal pattern called chu-pan (hook-like foliage); floral pattern on the false edge. Text along spine in brass overlay, reading Saya Bo let ya (“handiwork of Saya Bo”).
2. Blade 49.5 cm, overall 68 cm. Rayskin grip with silver pommel and ferrule. Overlay in silver on the flat of the blade in the pattern chu-pan, interspersed with swallows in flight. Simple wave pattern on the spine, with false edge unadorned.
3. Blade 68 cm, overall 97 cm. Contemporary replacement grip in lacquered wood and brass. Overlay in silver in a simple acheik (waved) pattern on spine; more complex acheik pattern along false edge. Silver overlay on flat of the blade in the pattern chu-pan, surrounding crouching lions. The decorated area of the false edge is surrounded by a straight line border, the decorated area on the flat by a double border, waved and straight.
4. Blade 51 cm, overall 79 cm. Ivory grip with silver ferrule and lotus pommel. Overlay in silver along spine and false edge of the blade in acheik pattern. Silver overlay on the flat of the blade in the pattern maw-pan (floral scrolling) surrounding the figures of a man, two tigers, a hare, a lion, a stag, a monkey, two fantastical figures half man, half bird, and a rooster.
5. Blade 62 cm, overall 83 cm. Grip of carved antler, steel, brass, and silver. Overlay in silver on spine and false edge in an acheik pattern, with a single straight border; silver overlay on flat of the blade in the pattern maw-pan, framing vignettes with figures and text from the Jataka story of Princess Bedi. Additional dedicatory text in silver overlay on the left-side forte.
6. Blade 61 cm, overall 82.5 cm. Silver grip with niello decoration in the pattern maw-pan, surrounding prancing monkeys, lions, and birds in flight. Overlay in silver on the spine and false edge of the blade in a simple acheik pattern, with a straight border (double on the spine, single on the false edge); silver overlay on flat of the blade in the pattern maw-pan surrounding scenes from the story of (King) Thiha Bahu Min and the Nat Min, and accompanying text.
7. Blade 65 cm, overall 91 cm. Grip of silver with lotus pommel with niello. Overlay in silver on the spine and false edge of the blade in an acheik pattern, with straight-line borders; silver overlay on flat of the blade in the pattern maw-pan, surrounding scenes from the Tale of the Shwe Hpyin Brothers, with accompanying text. Niello decoration on the grip repeats the maw-pan motif, with enlarged detail presentations of story highlights.
8. Blade 51 cm, overall 78 cm. A contemporary dha, with a grip of chased brass over wood, once washed with silver that has now disappeared. Silver overlay on flat of the blade showing scenes from the Jataka story of Maha Bandoola, with accompanying text, interspersed with sparse areas of chu-pan. Spine unadorned. dharesearch.bowditch.us
