Early Keris in a Stockholm Museum

[Rafngard]

Hello All,

I am fortunate enough to be headed to be taking a short trip to Sweden this May. While researching what to do with my time there, I stumbled upon a descriptions of a set of old Keris in the Stockholm Museum of Ethnography, and after some digging found pictures of two of them.

I'm wondering if any of the forum members have seen these in person or if anyone has any thoughts on these.

The museum's description follows:

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History of the Object
This particular keris belonged to the Swedish Queen, Hedvig Eleonora (1636-1715). The keris is mentioned in an inventory made by the Swedish Royal Armoury in 1696, which, in translation, describes “5 small “pungiorter” (the Swedish rendering of the poignards, French for dagger) with flame or wave-shaped blades, with accompanying sheaths of wood. One of these poignards has a hilt of ebony, one has an antler hilt and three have wooden hilts. All of them were graciously donated by Her Majesty the Queen Dowager”. The father of Queen Hedvig Eleonora, Duke Fredrik III of Holstein-Gottorp was well known for his library and “Kunstkammer” (Curiosity cabinet). In 1649 the famous and well-travelled mathematician, astronomer and ethnographer at the ducal court, Adam Olearius (1603-1671), became the librarian. It is not unlikely that the five “poignards”, i.e. kerises, come from this Curiosity Cabinet. They probably reached Holstein-Gottorp from Holland, from which place the first expedition to the East Indies was sent in 1595. The shaping of the keris’ hilt indicates that the dagger probably originated in Java. The ethnographic objects of the collections found in the Royal Armoury are long since deposited to the Museum of Ethnography

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I've also attached 7 pictures (5 of one, and 2 of another) from a catalogue website

Thanks,
Leif

[kai]

Hello Leif,

I am fortunate enough to be headed to be taking a short trip to Sweden this May. While researching what to do with my time there, I stumbled upon a descriptions of a set of old Keris in the Stockholm Museum of Ethnography, and after some digging found pictures of two of them.

Thanks for posting these!

It's really great that museums take efforts to make pieces in their care more widely available, especially online. I keep wondering about their project planning and quality control though...

I'm wondering if any of the forum members have seen these in person

Gustav or Michael would be our best bet, I guess.

The museum's description follows:

------------------------

History of the Object
This particular keris belonged to the Swedish Queen, Hedvig Eleonora (1636-1715). The keris is mentioned in an inventory made by the Swedish Royal Armoury in 1696, which, in translation, describes “5 small “pungiorter” (the Swedish rendering of the poignards, French for dagger) with flame or wave-shaped blades, with accompanying sheaths of wood. One of these poignards has a hilt of ebony, one has an antler hilt and three have wooden hilts. All of them were graciously donated by Her Majesty the Queen Dowager”. The father of Queen Hedvig Eleonora, Duke Fredrik III of Holstein-Gottorp was well known for his library and “Kunstkammer” (Curiosity cabinet). In 1649 the famous and well-travelled mathematician, astronomer and ethnographer at the ducal court, Adam Olearius (1603-1671), became the librarian. It is not unlikely that the five “poignards”, i.e. kerises, come from this Curiosity Cabinet. They probably reached Holstein-Gottorp from Holland, from which place the first expedition to the East Indies was sent in 1595. The shaping of the keris’ hilt indicates that the dagger probably originated in Java. The ethnographic objects of the collections found in the Royal Armoury are long since deposited to the Museum of Ethnography

---------------

1889.04.4175
I agree that this keris seems to originate from Java. It would be important to get better pics including close-ups though.

With a rather flat blade like this, any example remaining in Indonesia would nowadays be a "ghost" blade having lost pretty much all of it features.


1889.04.4173
This is a really interesting piece! On first sight, one might be inclined to see a keris Melayu in the blade. However, the greneng/jenggot as well as the gandik sure do look classic Java!

Regards,
Kai

[David]

Originally Posted by kai

1889.04.4173
This is a really interesting piece! On first sight, one might be inclined to see a keris Melayu in the blade. However, the greneng/jenggot as well as the gandik sure do look classic Java!

Yes, thanks for posting these Leif!
Yes, i don't think there is a doubt that these are Javanese. As you say though, we rarely get to see keris this old in such pristine condition.
If i had run across this one somewhere else, my first inclination might have been to wonder if Sumatra was a possibility, but i believe the element i am seeing that make me think this are ones that where probably transferred to Palembang during the influences of the Javanese there at the time.
Interesting that none of these keris have mendak. I would have thought they would have been collected as complete keris, especially one belonging to the Swedish queen.
I am not certain about exactly which collections Alan was able to view in Europe, but this may have been one of them.

[A. G. Maisey]

No David, I did not see these.

I handled the Medici kerises in the Bargello in Florence, the older kerises in the State Museum storage facility in Dresden, the older kerises in the care of the State Museum in Copenhagen, the Kerises in the Oriental Museum in Venice, and the late Karsten Jensen's collection in Copenhagen.

I did photograph everything I handled, however, in all cases I was required to sign a Blood Oath that if I were to permit any other person, living or dead, to have copies of my photographs of these keris, I would immediately be tracked down and extradited for prosecution and probable execution by hanging, drawing and quartering.

These European Museums are very cooperative and extremely helpful and accommodating, but I was left with the impression that if one were to cross the line they will not hesitate to make you wish you had never been born.

At least one of these museums was treated in a highly illegal and in my opinion, shameful manner by a very well known keris person in the past, and this was the reason for at least one of the threats of Cruel & Unusual Punishment.

In respect of the keris under discussion in this thread, yes, condition is comparable with most of the older keris that I saw. As I have previously remarked, these +300 year old keris in most cases look as if they came off the bench yesterday.

[Rafngard]

Hello All,

Hopefully I can get some good pictures of these when I'm in Stockholm. I'm cautiously optimistic about the description's mention of 5 total keris, and their accompanying sheaths.

I'm not optimistic about being given an opportunity to handle them, but I do plan on contacting the museum prior to my visit to confirm some details about the keris. Hopefully they're on display and not simply in storage.


Thanks,
Leif

[jagabuwana]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

In respect of the keris under discussion in this thread, yes, condition is comparable with most of the older keris that I saw. As I have previously remarked, these +300 year old keris in most cases look as if they came off the bench yesterday.

I take it that this is because they aren't cleaned routinely as they might be in Java?

[A. G. Maisey]

Probably.