Old keris ?

[A. G. Maisey]

In my opinion it is a very great error to use the relatively easily identifiable origin of dress to influence an opinion relating to the origins of a blade.

Blades that originated in all regions can be found in dress from other regions. Numerous examples of this can be quoted.

In respect of the dress of this keris under discussion.

It could be Javanese.

Everybody is familiar with the keris dress associated with the kratons, but what the vast bulk of collectors do not recognise is the keris dress that comes from areas that were not under the direct influence of a kraton.

In a remote or village setting, a man would carve his own keris dress and the guiding influence would not be the form worn in the local kraton, but rather, the form worn by his father, and previous family members.

Remember this:- it was not until the Dutch opened up roads in Jawa that communication between the various regions of Jawa was facilitated.Before the road system was developed much of Jawa was covered with dense forest and the rivers were the highways. Anywhere not near a river might just as well have been on the moon --- well, so to speak.

Up until about 10 or 12 years ago there was a village not all that far from Karang Pandan, near Solo, where mature people lived who had never made the journey outside their village. Solo was about 2 hours away by bus --- after the one hour or so walk to the bus stop. There is a pretty good road to that village now, and except when the road washes out in the wet season, Solo is easily reachable.

It must be noted that very early Javanese wrongkos were almost exactly the same as the square form now associated with The Peninsula and Bugis styles.

To return to comment on this blade.

It is well known that Palembang keris form was influenced by Central Javanese keris form, and that South Sumatera in general was influenced by Jawa in general. But apart from influence there is also the fact that keris originating in Jawa made their way to South Sumatera one way or another.

Perhaps the best known example of this is Si Ginje.

I would suggest that to say precisely what classification applies to this blade, at this time, is a little premature. It should be stained before any defensible opinion is able to be given, and an opinion that cannot be defended is only a guess.

As for the dress, anything is possible.