For your consideration are Vintage Qing Dynasty Sirdan Manchu War Arrows, Seven (7), circa 1839 to 1901. Most Sirdan or Manchu war arrows in collections were taken as war trophies from battlefields of the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864), the Opium wars (1839-1860), and the Boxer Rebellion of 1899-1901. Similar arrows were used at the Boxer siege of the Peking Legation Quarter (Beijing), the area in Beijing where foreign diplomatic offices and residences were located. Provenance: From the Stephen Johnston collection formerly from Darby, Montana and Foster City, CA. These tremendous weapons, much larger than most arrows used anywhere else in the world, were deadly when used in combination with the powerful Chinese compound or recurved bow. Bows that were used with such arrows were huge, about six feet long strung, with a cross section at the handle of nearly two square inches. They were said to have a pull of about 200 pounds. They were military issued, and standardized in terms of length and weight. These arrows are typical in having long barrelled shafts with three broad goosequill fletchings, here surviving in good order. The steel heads are significant in that the flattened triangular blades are flat to the edges rather than sharpened. This was deliberate in order to create a larger wound on impact rather than cutting through the flesh, a little like some types of bullet. Wonderfully preserved, these arrows are in good overall condition, birchbark binding, nocks are wrapped with sinew, which is in turn covered with birch bark, the goosequill fletching mostly gone from use. Arrows measure 41.5"L, combined weight is 1lb, 6oz.