Is this a tourist trap or a real deal?

A. G. Maisey · 9th July 2018, 11:52 PM

My comments on the dress are these:-

the wrongko is old, probably pre-WWII, the pendok is also old, definitely pre-WWII, it is made from mamas and is of a style that is exceptionally rare in post-WWII wrongkos, the pendok was not originally fitted to this gandar, the manner in which the wrongko + pendok has been presented is extremely amateurish, the imperfect fitting of pendok to gandar is totally unacceptable and makes this keris unable to be worn in polite society. Possibly the pendok may be able to be refitted in an acceptable way, but a far better solution would be to fit a pendok bunton. A cheaper fix would be to smooth and reduce the gandar and fit a velvet cover to the gandar, the colour for the velvet would need to match the kraton code.

I cannot see sufficient of the hilt to pass comment on the quality of workmanship. What I can see seems to indicate that craftsmanship is adequate, and compatible with the overall level of quality represented by the ensemble. The mendak appears to have some age and would probably test as silver.

The incorrect mating of hilt and wrongko I commented on in post #4.

My overall opinion is that it is a pretty decent keris, it needs a little bit of revision in presentation, but that is something extremely minor, and not really worthy of comment. What we can see here is the way keris are often bought once they appear on the market outside Jawa, or for that matter, even within Jawa when offered for sale by private people or non-specialist dealers. If it went cheap, whoever got it did well.

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9th July 2018, 11:52 PM	#14
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,049	My comments on the dress are these:- the wrongko is old, probably pre-WWII, the pendok is also old, definitely pre-WWII, it is made from mamas and is of a style that is exceptionally rare in post-WWII wrongkos, the pendok was not originally fitted to this gandar, the manner in which the wrongko + pendok has been presented is extremely amateurish, the imperfect fitting of pendok to gandar is totally unacceptable and makes this keris unable to be worn in polite society. Possibly the pendok may be able to be refitted in an acceptable way, but a far better solution would be to fit a pendok bunton. A cheaper fix would be to smooth and reduce the gandar and fit a velvet cover to the gandar, the colour for the velvet would need to match the kraton code. I cannot see sufficient of the hilt to pass comment on the quality of workmanship. What I can see seems to indicate that craftsmanship is adequate, and compatible with the overall level of quality represented by the ensemble. The mendak appears to have some age and would probably test as silver. The incorrect mating of hilt and wrongko I commented on in post #4. My overall opinion is that it is a pretty decent keris, it needs a little bit of revision in presentation, but that is something extremely minor, and not really worthy of comment. What we can see here is the way keris are often bought once they appear on the market outside Jawa, or for that matter, even within Jawa when offered for sale by private people or non-specialist dealers. If it went cheap, whoever got it did well.