Two Thai Dha

Two large ceremonial swords from Northern Thailand from the 19^th century.  Both hilts are as long as the blades, and have wooden cores covered with silver sheet, nine panels of repoussé and chased floral and geometric designs separated by silver rings with large bulbous pommel of segmented decoration.  Flame profiled curving blades of identical shape.

A similar, but shorter sword is in the National Museum, Bangkok, illustrated and described by Panchaphan as a Lanna-style sword, it is presumed Panchaphan is referring to the Kingdom of Lan Na, which was an Indianised state centred in present-day Northern Thailand from the 13th to 18th centuries.  See Panchaphan p.134.