Some of my Aceh favorites :)

[erikscollectables]

Just to share I collect status and state pieces from North Sumatra (Aceh/Gajo/Batak) and this morning I made a few pics of some of my Aceh favorites.....here is one pic to share with some related period items.

*Kupiah (hat) of the high type
*Sikin with triple crown/rencongs with triple crowns/sikin with double crown (only to be used by Aceh noble people or high ranking officials like a panglima)
*Peurisse with 5 stars (most often 7)
*Atjeh Medal 1873/74 and the Kruis voor belangrijke Krijgsverrigtingen with Atjeh clasp
*3 djimats (amulets)- 2 fossil shells and one blunderbuss bullet - all with protective inscriptions in arabic lettering
*Set of sirih utensils (some with enamel like on the crowns)
*Sirih or chalk box

Regards, Erik

PS I am always looking to improve my collection so if you have something that might be of interest from this region let me know

[kai]

Thanks - that's a terrific sight of your Aceh pieces, Erik!

Don't forget to add a pic or 2 of that pedang...

Gayo and Batak going into a seperate thread?

Regards,
Kai

[Battara]

Wish I had the medals to go with my sikin....

Anyway, love the pieces. I have this thing for gold crowns. (Still looking for a gold crowned rencong ).

The rattan shield is nice - rarer than the brass types if I am not mistaken.

[erikscollectables]

Thanks - made a few differnt shots but only liked this one but I am planning to make a small series of these kind of photo's.
I am still thinking about how to include my batak Lembing Raja spears in a photo.....
Good idea about the peudeung - it is now my avatar

Originally Posted by kai

Thanks - that's a terrific sight of your Aceh pieces, Erik!

Don't forget to add a pic or 2 of that pedang...

Gayo and Batak going into a seperate thread?

Regards,
Kai

[erikscollectables]

These medals are not so hard to find - the ones for courage are very difficult....

Most Aceh shields in brass are the later ones that never have been used. The real brass ones are as diffucult as the rattan ones but maybe a little less populair among collectors (probably because of the amount of later brass ones)

As you can see golden crowns are my thing as well

Originally Posted by Battara

Wish I had the medals to go with my sikin....

Anyway, love the pieces. I have this thing for gold crowns. (Still looking for a gold crowned rencong ).

The rattan shield is nice - rarer than the brass types if I am not mistaken.

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

Most Aceh shields in brass are the later ones that never have been used. The real brass ones are as diffucult as the rattan ones but maybe a little less populair among collectors (probably because of the amount of later brass ones)

I have two of the real old brass ones, made for war, and not those which pop up regularly and are also old, but made for tourists.
When seeing and holding the real ones next to the touristic ones, you can feel the differences easily.
The old "non touristic" ones are much heavier and also very plain, and not that ornamented as the touristic ones!

By the way I have crossed more ratan atjeh shields as brass "non touristic" ones..

Nice to know is that the old brass ones that were found in the Nijmegen museum, and all came from important knil people and old collections, are all plain. There is not one to be found that is decorated in the front, so this has to be the proof that those ornamented brass ones are touristic pieces.
Also I have never seen old pictures of Atjeh warriors with an ornamented brass peurise holding.....

Nice image Erik! You have the best Atjeh stuff around!

Kind Regards,
Maurice

[erikscollectables]

Thanks Maurice,

The ones you have are among the very few I know about outside of musea. Probably they are rarer as you mentioned than the rattan ones. I guess often they are not recognized as Aceh shields either.

The decorated ones probably do not come from Aceh but Minang Kabau and are often called dancing shields.....The decorated shields I do see are almost always old - from before 1940.

Originally Posted by Maurice

I have two of the real old brass ones, made for war, and not those which pop up regularly and are also old, but made for tourists.
When seeing and holding the real ones next to the touristic ones, you can feel the differences easily.
The old "non touristic" ones are much heavier and also very plain, and not that ornamented as the touristic ones!

By the way I have crossed more ratan atjeh shields as brass "non touristic" ones..

Nice to know is that the old brass ones that were found in the Nijmegen muweum, and all came from important knil people and old collections, are all plain. There is not one to be found that is decorated in the front, so this has to be the proof that those ornamented brass ones are touristic pieces.
Also I have never seen old pictures of Atjeh warriors with an ornamented brass peurise holding.....

Nice image Erik! You have the best Atjeh stuff around!

Kind Regards,
Maurice

[Gavin Nugent]

I must say, great goals you have set yourself in obtaining this style of weapon, the collection you have put together is amazing, world class.

Gavin

[erikscollectables]

Thanks Gavin!

Although my interest is very broad I have learned that limiting the scope of the actual collection can help to become an "authority" in a specific field quickly. With my limited budget I buy less items which helps me to fund he best pieces I am able to find within my focus. All of my current collection was built in less than 2 years....(with good help from fellow collectors - of which several are/were regulars on this forum!)

Regards, Erik

Originally Posted by freebooter

I must say, great goals you have set yourself in obtaining this style of weapon, the collection you have put together is amazing, world class.

Gavin

[Atlantia]

Great collection Erik,

Not easy items to find. I don't think I see anything like them where I am.
Does the hat have any kind of liner?
All the pieces are very nice, I particularly like the shield.

Congratulations
Gene

[erikscollectables]

Thanks,

Can send you a pic of the inside of the hat - it does not have a seperate lining. It does have an opening in the top in which sometimes (during weddings e.g) a special star like jewel was worn. Such a star I have only seen in a museum.

Holland is of course the place where many of these items were brought by the military people who "collected" them but even here these items are rare - the rencong with triple crown is maybe 1 of 100 rencong and the other even rarer (that one was not brought back a military person but by a ship captain that received it as a gift from a local leader)

More of these items in Holland than in Aceh I think and there are some great museum collections and a few very good private collections too.

Originally Posted by Atlantia

Great collection Erik,

Not easy items to find. I don't think I see anything like them where I am.
Does the hat have any kind of liner?
All the pieces are very nice, I particularly like the shield.

Congratulations
Gene

[Atlantia]

Thank you Erik,
My email is: gimmieitbaby@aol.com
I'd like to see inside as I've never seen one before

I don't doubt how rare some of these pieces are. A lovely display you have!

[Sajen]

Erik, very nice collection you have there and a lovely display you have arranged.
What come in my mind direct: I have collected several sirih boxes on Halmahera and some have the same look like yours. I have seen the same style also in antique shops in Makassar.

Regards,

Detlef

[erikscollectables]

Hi Detlef,

Probably these types of boxes were used in a wider area. I know this one was actually collected in Aceh. Here a picture of mine (a version with low silver content - most are brass) in a page of the book Indonesia - discovery of the past (about famous expeditions and the collections that came from there). The page is with a similair box collected in the central Sumatra expedition of 1873. I think the decoration style if typical of Sumatra.

Regards, Erik

Originally Posted by Sajen

Erik, very nice collection you have there and a lovely display you have arranged.
What come in my mind direct: I have collected several sirih boxes on Halmahera and some have the same look like yours. I have seen the same style also in antique shops in Makassar.

Regards,

Detlef

[Sajen]

Hi Eric, I think that I own one with a similar decoration but don't know in the moment where I have stored it.
A other possibility is that these boxes are produced maybe in Sumatra and traded all over the archipelago, who knows?

Regards,

Detlef

[erikscollectables]

Probably you are right - much was traded - also very visible in many keris and North Sumatra was a very important trading post from the 16th century onward.

That is what you get when your interest is very broad - more items than space

Erik

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hi Eric, I think that I own one with a similar decoration but don't know in the moment where I have stored it.
A other possibility is that these boxes are produced maybe in Sumatra and traded all over the archipelago, who knows?

Regards,

Detlef

[erikscollectables]

And here some more Aceh pieces Gajo and Batak will take some time and come later.

*Sikin peusangan with ivory cross piece
*Sikin panjang with double crown - sheath covered in red coloured leather and silver strips (period repair to strenghten the probably cracked sheath)
* Photo of officer and nco of the KNIL with Atjeh medal and KvK - around 1880 - famous bamboo hats on the table
*Military Order of William 3rd Class (one of the 400 awarded since 1815)
*Peudeung with golden top (and enamel and inlaid with diamonds) same as in my new avatar
*Background - rattan shield with remains of the cotton covering visible and a silver bowl

Regards, Erik

[Battara]

Beautiful! Love the gold and diamond work they did in Aceh!

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

And here some more Aceh pieces Gajo and Batak will take some time and come later.

I'm really looking forward to your next wonderfull display!
Really great all those rare beautiful pieces in a display like these.
Also a nice old picture.

Kind regards,
Maurice

[Sajen]

Very nice and outstanding collection you have. Gorgeous Peudeung!

[Jentayu]

Beautiful pieces you got there, erik. That would be my next "target" of Aceh pieces to add into my collection. I can just drool by just looking at those fine pieces of yours.

[kai]

Thanks again, Erik - gorgeous!

Beautiful! Love the gold and diamond work they did in Aceh!

I'm with you, Jose! (including suasa, silver, enamel, stones, akar bahar, ivories, etc.)

Just don't overlook the amazing iron/steel work as well as superb wood/horn carving done on the high-end pieces as well as most "average" examples...

Regards,
Kai

[erikscollectables]

And now finally some Gajo pieces - two rare rencong and one keris on a background of a so called Aceh coat (semi official military coat) of an officer with a miniature Military Order of William 4th class. Photo of a military patrol in the Gajo area and an ivory gajo keris handle.

Regards, Erik

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

And now finally some Gajo pieces - two rare rencong and one keris on a background of a so calle Aceh coat (semi official military coat) of an officer with a miniature Military Order of William 4th class.
Photo of a military patrol in the Gajo area and a ivory gajo keris handle.

Regards, Erik

Beautifull display Erik!

Regards,
Maurice

[CharlesS]

The peudeung is so beautifully mounted, and clearly a high status piece. May I ask if the blade is sturdier and more substantial than what is often seen on these??

[erikscollectables]

Hi - it is the same type of blade. Better made than most and not imported but locally made with layered steel. But as most thin and very flexible - I think it is just belongs to this type of sword.

Regards, Erik

Originally Posted by CharlesS

The peudeung is so beautifully mounted, and clearly a high status piece. May I ask if the blade is sturdier and more substantial than what is often seen on these??