Palembang Keris

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, I agree that the hilt is North coast Jawa, & tending towards the east, however, the selut is typically Palembang.

Historically there have been very close ties between Jawa & Palembang. Palembang Keris blade style follows Javanese style very closely, & frankly, I cannot tell from a photo the difference between a blade that might be Palembang, or that might be Jawa or Madura. I would need to handle it & even then I might not be certain.

This keris could be a marriage, but then we need to consider the historical ties and the fact that it is in a Palembang wrongko. Maybe it is not a marriage. If it were mine I'd leave as is. Lots of mix & match examples of keris exist that are true to the area from which they come, not put together somewhere else.

There is something else too. In recent years current era Indonesian collectors & dealers have been trying to promote the recognition of a "tangguh Palembang". In my opinion this is a total impossibility, for the very simple reason that there is no uniquely Palembang blade. A genuine keris Palembang, in the sense of a keris put together in Palembang for wear in Palembang can have a variety of different blades used, including Bugis, Javanese, Peninsula & still be the real deal. The old Javanese tangguh system does not recognise a tangguh Palembang.

Nice keris.