Assistance for a keris novice

David · 29th June 2017, 09:17 PM

Hi Shayde, welcome to the forum.
Though your photos are not extremely clear it seems to me that there may indeed be some age on your blade, however i suspect the the somewhat crudely carved naga was done at a much later contemporary date, possibly to give what is a fairly standard, lower end blade more appeal in the marketplace. Of course there could be other reasons for the addition, but i can't think of any way to confirm why it was added. But i seriously doubt it was born with this naga.
Your sheath, as you have noted, seems to be made in one piece. We refer to that as wrongko iras, "iras" meaning one piece. That does not necessarily imply modern tools and i would say there is some age on this sheath. Wrongko iras are generally prized as they are rarer and more difficult to carve. I also like the brass (?) open-cut pendok though it seems to be a bit ill-fitted and may not be original to the sheath. The blade, OTOH, appears to fit the sheath fairly well so it was either made specifically for this blade or adapted to it. The dress is what is know as Surakarta gayaman (everyday) form.

29th June 2017, 09:17 PM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	Hi Shayde, welcome to the forum. Though your photos are not extremely clear it seems to me that there may indeed be some age on your blade, however i suspect the the somewhat crudely carved naga was done at a much later contemporary date, possibly to give what is a fairly standard, lower end blade more appeal in the marketplace. Of course there could be other reasons for the addition, but i can't think of any way to confirm why it was added. But i seriously doubt it was born with this naga. Your sheath, as you have noted, seems to be made in one piece. We refer to that as wrongko iras, "iras" meaning one piece. That does not necessarily imply modern tools and i would say there is some age on this sheath. Wrongko iras are generally prized as they are rarer and more difficult to carve. I also like the brass (?) open-cut pendok though it seems to be a bit ill-fitted and may not be original to the sheath. The blade, OTOH, appears to fit the sheath fairly well so it was either made specifically for this blade or adapted to it. The dress is what is know as Surakarta gayaman (everyday) form.