Long Keris

[RobertGuy]

I am new to collecting keris, this being my second example.

The catalogue description was as follows:
19th Century Long Bladed Executioner's Malayan Kris. 22 inch straight double edged blade. Large top forte. Two short chiseled top fullers. Polished horn grip with oval turned in pommel carved with a flower and foliage design. Contained in its wooden scabbard with large throat. Old repair to chape.

The stats are:
Weight, sword: 12oz (0.34kg), in scabbard: 1lb (0.46kg)
Length overall: 26.75'' (68cm) Blade: 22'' (56cm)
POB: 3.5'' (9cm)
Profile taper: 2.43'' (61.7mm) at widest part of ricasso, 0.69'' (17.5mm) just after ricasso 0.67' (17.2mm) mid blade, 0.49'' (12.5mm) 2 inches from tip.
Distal taper 0.56'' (14.6mm) at ricasso, 0.11'' (2.9mm) mid blade. 0.08'' (2mm) 2 inches from tip.

I know that the term Executioner's Keris is misleading but I do have a few other questions. I am not sure if the grip is horn as the slight areas of damage show a strong grain. Is this a characteristic of horn or is ebony or similar wood more likely? I will try and include a close-up picture.
The pamor on the blade is very plain and I gather that this can sometimes indicate an older blade. Can this one be classified and dated?
Finally a general question, the handle orientation seems to vary from keris to keris on the examples I have seen. Is there a reason for this?, is there a standard way to hold a keris or just individual choice and preference? Any information people here can share with a newbie will be gratefully received. Thank you.

[GIO]

A nice Sumatran panjang blade, not that old but with some age. The tapak kuda hilt very likely horn, which is normally found with this kind of kerises. The scabbard seems of recent manufacture but unfortunately the grain of the wood in the lower part of the gandar is not up to the overall quality of the rest of the scabbard.
The absence of pamor is normal for such blades. I personally believe that the pamor is more frequently found on recent made blades, probably to increase the appeal.
As to the orientation of the hilt, there is no strict rule. It depens how comfortably it rests in the hand when holding the kris in the proper way.
Congratulations for the purchase.

[GIO]

One more thing: a nice selut would greatly enhance the aspect and value of this keris.

[kai]

Thanks, Giovanni, for beating me at it!

A nice Sumatran panjang blade, not that old but with some age.

Could also have been nicely preserved in an old European collection...

The scabbard seems of recent manufacture but unfortunately the grain of the wood in the lower part of the gandar is not up to the overall quality of the rest of the scabbard.

That's an old repair according to the seller.

Most of these scabbards have a rounded tip. However, there are also examples with more or less blunt-ended chased silver fittings.

This and a proper selut would make the ensemble much nicer, agreed.

Regards,
Kai

[David]

My two cents....
The blade, especially at the greneng, does appear well preserved, but this does appear to be an antique example, so late 19th to early 20th century would not be unreasonable.
I'd say the hilt is probably horn. I doubt it is painted wood as the exposed areas at the break would not appear so dark as they do. I have seen horn look that way in broken areas, but better photos might confirm.
I believe that this sheath should have a "toe" piece at the end of the stem. These were often either horn to ivory.
I do agree that a nice "selut" would bring this piece together nicely. Such things are available if you look. Ask a trusted keris dealer if they can find you an appropriate piece.
While no pamor isn't necessarily a good gage of age, examples with complex pamors are almost always contemporary ones. Some exceptions probably exist.

[GIO]

Thanks Kai and David for having better developed my opinions.

[RobertGuy]

Thank you all very much for your help. My usual area of collecting is European military swords so getting my head around the terms and terminology of these blades is a steep learning curve. In terms of adding a selut would this keris normally have had one? Is this the same thing as a mendak? Do these require an expert to fit them? Presumably the blade needs to be removed and then refitted. Is this easy? The sabbard repair I will probably leave as is. I would rather have a piece that shows its history that over restore it and take away its charater.
Thanks again.

[kai]

Hello Robert,

Looks like a genuine keris panjang!

I am not sure if the grip is horn as the slight areas of damage show a strong grain. Is this a characteristic of horn or is ebony or similar wood more likely? I will try and include a close-up picture.

Aged horn can also show grain - from the pics given, I'm not prepared to decide. However, the pic of the base of the hilt does look more like painted wood to me (consistent with a few worn edges shown at the pommel end).

The pamor on the blade is very plain and I gather that this can sometimes indicate an older blade. Can this one be classified and dated?

It does look like an old, genuine blade, indeed. Most of these Bangkinang style blades are forged from very densely laminated but non-contrasting metal and appear to be pamorless (compared to the bold pamors seen on many keris); IMHO not much to base an age estimate on since there always have been bolder and less bold pamor types.

One would be tempted to classify this blade as Sumatran (realising these got traded widely) and antique. However, the greneng are very well preserved and, from the top of my head, I can't place this specific style.

Finally a general question, the handle orientation seems to vary from keris to keris on the examples I have seen. Is there a reason for this?, is there a standard way to hold a keris or just individual choice and preference?

Truth to be told, most hilt placements seen are for convenient storage (or display). For most keris the standard grip would be to snuggle up on the blade and pinch the horizontally orientated blade between the thumb on top and the curled index finger below with the pommel resting in the palm for directly transmitting the power from the base of the hand/wrist into the thrust (blade with gandik pointing to the left for the right hand). The 90° position on your pics is a reasonable start but in most cases a hilt somewhat turned inwards will feel best (i. e. most ergonomically). I'm not sure there really is any convenient fighting position for the hilt of a large keris panjang though - my gut feeling is that these were mainly status pieces. The smaller blades of this Bangkinang type are perfect for punching a hole or two though...

Regards,
Kai