Mindanao Silver-Inlaid Bras Gadur Jars, Philippines

Pair of Silver-Inlaid Brass Wedding Vessels (Gadur)

This pair of gadur (also written as gador) brass jars are of cast brass inlaid with silver. Each features a bulbous, rounded base that rises out from a low ring foot and rises to a thinner neck. Each has a domed lid with a long, spire-like finial.

Both have two pairs of handles on either side. Typically, these are weak and ornamental only; they serve no practical purpose.

Motifs in silver inlay include bands of stylised orchids (

obar-obar) and rope twist (obid-obid) borders. This type of decoration has its origins in woodcarving (Fraser-Lu, 1989, p. 110). The spire finials are beautifully decorated with plain bands of silver all the way up.

Such containers were presented as gifts among wealthy Muslim Maranao families on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. They might also have been used to present wedding gifts such as grain and textiles by the groom’s relatives (Fraser-Lu, p. 108).

According to Casal et al (1981, p. 155), ‘When entering the house of a

datu [local chief] in Lanao and Cotabato, one’s first impression is of dozens or hundreds of brass and copper artifacts…Such objects are considered indicators of wealth and status, and they are always included among the gifts exchanged during weddings. The most impressive of these brass items is the gadur…’

The association with weddings is suggested by the long spires atop each lid which are in the shape of rosewater sprinklers. Rosewater is used among the Malays and Malay-like peoples of Southeast Asia as part of their wedding rituals.

See Afable

et al (2013, p. 143) for a similar example but one which has lost its handles.

Pairs of such vessels are unusual. The two are in excellent condition for their age. They have a patina consistent with their age.