Bali keris hilt or plokokan hilt?

[Sajen]

Dear members,

I have already long this hilt and I am very unsure if this is a keris hilt since it is bend to the right while keris handle normally have a light bend to the left. The handle is worked from black horn and seems to have a good age. I think that it is from Bali or maybe from Lombok. What do you think?

[Sajen]

I have also this three handle, I guess all from Bali, where I think that this are most probable plocokan (betel pounder) handle, but really sure I am only by the last one.


Sorry, the order is not like I upload the pictures. The first and the two last pictures show the handle where I think that it is a plocokan handle.

All comments are welcome and I am curious to read what is your opinion.

Regards,

Detlef

[GIO]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Sorry, the order is not like I upload the pictures. The first and the two last pictures show the handle where I think that it is a plocokan handle.
Detlef

IMHO you are right. Frankly I am a bit puzzled by the hilt shown in pics 2,3 and 4 . Holding it in hand would not be so comfortable ....
Could it be made for a display keris ?

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by GIO

IMHO you are right. Frankly I am a bit puzzled by the hilt shown in pics 2,3 and 4 . Holding it in hand would not be so comfortable ....
Could it be made for a display keris ?

Hello Gio,

thank you for comment. I think you mean the handle from whale bone, the human with the bird on his shoulders? Believe me, I just test it again, this handle is a very confortable grip.

Regards,

Detlef

[A. G. Maisey]

With usual qualification:- based upon what I can see in the photos.

man with bird --- keris, recent, not for wear

black hilt --- keris, recent, Lombok

naked figure --- keris

man with serpent --- pestle or small knife (pisau pemutik or temutik), however, I feel this has been done purely as a sculpture, because both knife hilts and pestle handles usually have a ferrule fitted

By "recent" I mean after WWII

An enormous amount of small sculptures in the form of hilts have been available in Bali and Lombok over the last 30 years; a lot of things produced in Lombok are sold in Bali.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

With usual qualification:- based upon what I can see in the photos.

man with bird --- keris, recent, not for wear

black hilt --- keris, recent, Lombok

naked figure --- keris

man with serpent --- pestle or small knife (pisau pemutik or temutik), however, I feel this has been done purely as a sculpture, because both knife hilts and pestle handles usually have a ferrule fitted

By "recent" I mean after WWII

An enormous amount of small sculptures in the form of hilts have been available in Bali and Lombok over the last 30 years; a lot of things produced in Lombok are sold in Bali.

Hello Alan,

thank you for comment.

Do you have a statement for the circumstance that the black hilt is bent to the wrong side? I am unsure about the age of this hilt, you may be very well correct that it is a hilt after WW2 but this hilt have clearly signs of good use. It is worked from black horn and at the touching areas becomes "white" what I have only seen by horn when it was long in use. So when my assumption about use and your assumption that it is a keris handle both are correct why is it bent to the wrong side? This question employed me every time again when I have hold it in my hand and was also the reason of this thread. Do you have seen other hilts (for keris) with this "wrong" bent?

Regards,

Detlef