Coat of arms on Madura colonial soldier's keris

[A. G. Maisey]

Madura is an island just off the north coast of Jawa, these days it is reached by a road bridge.

The two major centers on Madura are Sumenep and Pamekasan. Both are now Kabupatens, or regencies, that is, administrative areas. In past times Sumenep was a Sultanate, but I think Pamekasan was only ever a kabupaten.

In respect of traditional Madura keris dress, the European crown as a major motif seems to be usually associated with Pamekasan dress, however it can appear as a sub-motif in Sumenep dress also.

The "trophy of arms" motif shown on this scabbard is not typical of either Sumenep or Pamekasan but similar motifs do occur in both keris dress and other applications throughout areas of the Indonesian Archipelago that were under colonial domination. For example, in the Surakarta Karaton there are a number of examples of the use of this typically European "trophy of arms" in architectural and decorative applications.

Most European based collectors tend to regard this style of Madura keris dress as having been produced to satisfy early European demand for highly decorative keris to take home to Holland. However, the broad style of this dress was also used by indigenous Madurese.