Bali Keris

[thomas hauschild]

Hello

I like to share my (new to my collection) Bali Keris. I have got some informations recently. The blade seems to be older than the dress, and I was told around 18th century. The silver and ivory dress something between 1908 and the thirties. Hope you enjoy.

Best regards Thomas

[Gustav]

Thomas, the dress is post 30ties, and very likely from 70ties or later, except perhaps the ivory Atasan. The ornamentation on Pendok is not the most typical Balinese work

[A. G. Maisey]

Gustav, with respect, I tend to disagree with you when you place dating of this Balinese dress into the period after WWI & before Japanese occupation of Bali.

I have seen, handled and owned Balinese keris with similar silver and/or brass, and ivory dress to the dress seen on this keris, and that did most definitely did originate in Bali during the late Colonial period, say 1890 to 1940.

In respect of the pendok, the older form of construction of a full cover Balinese pendok was in two pieces, the back part of the pendok extends to cover the sides of the gandar, and the front sleeve is a separate component, the edges of the front sleeve tuck down under the extended edges of the back part of the pendok. The two parts of the pendok are held in place with an adhesive, sometimes this adhesive is button shellac or damar, other times it can be a commercial adhesive. This type of construction does not require a mandrel to fabricate.

Later Balinese pendoks are sometimes still made in this oldtime way, but some time after WWII Balinese silver smiths began to use a mandrel for pendok construction, & we now find some recent Bali pendoks are made on a mandrel with a soldered joint on either the side or the middle of the back.

The embossed ornamentation on this keris is totally in character with Balinese embossed ornamentation of not only Balinese pendoks but also other Balinese artefacts.

The keris itself, ie, the blade is difficult to date, I tend to be conservative in dating Balinese keris blades & I would give it as mid-19th century or earlier. One of the things that influences me to date the blade, & I guess, the dress as being reasonably old is the fact that the keris appears to stand a little bit proud of the top of the wrongko, this was a style that was much more common in older Bali keris than in more recent Bali keris.

[Gustav]

Alan, I have yet to see a silver Togogan as Keris hilt, and a Balinese full silver Pendok with a firm provenance before 1930ties. Silver simply wasn't the preffered material/colour for Balinese, and for the members of Triwangsa Togogan as Keris hilt had to be gold or at least golden in colour.

Besides that, one striking characteristic of this Pendok is the fact both sides of it are organized as backsides ornamentally. This is not the traditional Bali style, and I don't think something like that was possible before 1930'ties. This is like a human person with two left hands. The execution of that ornamentation, especially flowers, is very chinese in style.

The quite symplified details of hilt (compared to Togogan before 1908) - here I have difficulties to see it as a work done even before WWII. As we know, not much was going on on Bali in the 50'ties and 60'ties, it started again in 70'ties.

[A. G. Maisey]

As you wish Gustav.

[Gustav]

A good answer, Alan.