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THB19th C. Philippine Bontok Spear - Fangkao Javelin
Lot 162
About Seller
Artemis Fine Arts
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$900 - $1,500
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Fine Arts
Aug 22, 2025
Set Reminder
2025-08-22 10:00:00
2025-08-22 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Indigenous Art - Ralph T. Coe Center, Santa Fe, NM
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/indigenous-art---ralph-t-coe-center-santa-fe-nm-20324
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
Featuring works of art from the Ralph T. Coe Center for the Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, a non-profit focused on promoting Indigenous Arts globally. All proceeds from the sale of these items will support future grants to Rehoming Program participants. Artemis Fine Arts info@artemisfinearts.com
View Full Catalog (452)
- Lot Description
Southeast Asia, Philippine, Igorot, Bontoc (or Bontok) peoples, ca. 19th century CE. A formidable and elegant fangkao spear from the Bontok people of northern Luzon, composed of a long, tapering wooden shaft fitted with a carbon steel blade and lower steel butt spike. This type of javelin, noted for its wide, barbless blade, reflects the resourceful metallurgy and functional design of highland Philippine warfare and hunting traditions. The fangkao (also recorded as fan'-kao) was primarily used across the Cordillera region for hunting wild boar and carabao, though in certain villages like Ambawan, it served as a multipurpose weapon of both hunt and war. This example features a dark, smoothed shaft formed from a single length of dense wood, likely native hardwood, bound with a fitted iron spearhead at one end and a conical iron counterweight at the other. Size: 57" L x 1.5" W (144.8 cm x 3.8 cm); 57.5" H (146 cm) on included custom stand.
Such spears were traditionally forged by Igorot blacksmiths in the village of Baliwang, a regional center of blade production. As recorded in early 20th century ethnographies, around 1905 four working smithies still operated there, using simple stone tools and great skill to shape iron into these tools of survival and status.
The blade's elongated, leaf-like shape and lack of barbs emphasize penetration over entanglement, while the counterweight provided balance for both throwing and hand-held use. In its refined minimalism and cultural specificity, this fangkao stands as a compelling relic of indigenous Philippine martial heritage.
Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection, acquired in September 2023; ex-Material Culture, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#195700Iron ring at base of blade is slightly loose. Stable fissures to wood shaft and chip to one side of blade. Surface wear with weathering and abrasions throughout, commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent with rich patina throughout.Condition
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