A Very Old Kris

[xasterix]

Necro-ing this thread because I realized I have a kris with a cylindrical tang. Comments and assessments are welcome.

My notes on the matter:

1. The piece has 18.3in blade, measures 23.5in overall.

2. I removed the galgal near the tang (without meaning to reset) because the fragments were falling off. I decided to clear away all galgal near the blade base to secure the blade with easily-removable clear epoxy. It was an unexpected but fortunate surprise that I was able to see the upper part of the tang in the process.

3. Upon closer inspection, the asang-asang seemed to be retrofitted at a later date; the area under it did not have indentations for an asang at all, meaning the kris was built without an asang in mind.

4. The exposed tang is cylindrical, it had no angles (circular). Because of this feature, I believe (also based on the accumulated discussion in this thread andwith other collectors) is that this piece may be pre-1700 and fit into the "missing link" category.

5. The throat of the pommel was originally wrapped with torn copper wire; I removed it and replaced with hemp solidified by clear epoxy, to secure the pommel part.

6. I'm well aware that my aggressive restoration has reduced the value of the piece; however I've always been of the thought of striking a balance between a piece's provenance and future-proofing it. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea (especially of museums/provenance-particular collectors), but it is what it is. This piece is my lineage's pusaka already after all.

7. I'm attaching a comparative picture with 2 other pieces- a 23-in blade late 1800s kalis, and another archaic kris with 19.2in blade, which I think is late 1700s or early 1800s.