Kebo keris from Bali

Athanase · 17th May 2022, 10:43 PM

Hello,
Here is one of the Balinese Ke=riss who arrived home a few months ago.
I like his blade with an unusual Dapur and would love to know more about it.

Like half of the Keris I buy in France, the handle is stuck with glue the wrong way round. As I'm in the middle of work and relocation at the moment, I didn't have time to try to fix it.

A. G. Maisey · 17th May 2022, 11:54 PM

Could you please advise blade length?

Thanks.

Marcokeris · 18th May 2022, 09:21 PM

nice keris

@@

David · 18th May 2022, 09:59 PM

It is obviously quite a bit shorter than the sheath. Are you suspecting this could be a Javanese blade Alan?

Athanase · 18th May 2022, 10:16 PM

Oh Sorry I forget the length.

the blade length is 36cm.

A. G. Maisey · 19th May 2022, 12:09 AM

Thank you Athanase.

So, 36cm = +/- 14.25 inches.

After I asked my question I scaled it from your photos and came up with +/- 15"

This keris, blade only, is not of Balinese origin, it was made in Jawa, probably East Jawa, but it has obviously been in Bali for a long time, as the blade finish is what we expect to see on a Balinese keris.

Even without knowing the length, my first impression was that I was looking at a Javanese keris. We seldom meet with Balinese keris that have a Kebo form, and even though the greneng on this keris does show erosion, it seems to be clear that the original style of the rondha was a Javanese rather than a Balinese form.

In fact, many Balinese keris that are regarded as pusaka keris originated in Jawa. I have one such keris, which was a family pusaka, it is quite small, only about 12.5" long, and singo barong, material is classifiable as Majapahit, and the hilt is very old ivory bhuta, the wrongko first half 19th century or earlier.

The wrongko & hilt of your keris look to be at least pre-WWII, but the uwer is a much more recent production, I believe that you will find the "stones" to be plastic.

I would not fiddle too much with this keris, a bit of TLC for the wrongko & hilt, good quality furniture wax or oil, replace the uwer, give the blade a good wash with dishwash detergent and hot water, dry thoroughly, drench with WD40 and allow to dry before painting with fragrant oil, that's it.

The hilt being stuck is a bit of a problem, I'm not going to recommend anything here. There are a number of things that I would try if it were mine, but I cannot transfer my experience to you. The first, obvious thing is the old heat fix, this keris might not have a glued on hilt, rather, it might be rusted on, and if the tang gets broken taking the hilt off it can be a bit of a pain to remedy that situation.

To my way of thinking this is a keris that is a definite keeper.

Athanase · 19th May 2022, 03:32 PM

Thank you very much for your answer.
The uwer seems to be made from old glass bead.
I had already put WD40 but I will clean it again according to your instructions.

A. G. Maisey · 19th May 2022, 09:52 PM

The older ones of this type were glass, but usually I have found these "stones" to be plastic, try testing with a hot needle. There are a lot more plastic ones around than glass.

David · 19th May 2022, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

The older ones of this type were glass, but usually I have found these "stones" to be plastic, try testing with a hot needle. There are a lot more plastic ones around than glass.

You may be right about some of these, but if you look closely at the photo there is at least on actual glass bead (with a hole through it) that has been placed in one of the settings, i assume to replace a missing"stone".
Regardless, if this were mine i would replace the uwer anyway as it's a bit of a mess.

A. G. Maisey · 19th May 2022, 11:51 PM

Yeah, I didn't notice the bead, & it would be a replacement, but just the same, that uwer needs to go.

Incidentally, a couple weeks back I found out what an "uwer" really is, besides being that little ring under a keris Hilt.

It is the rolled up bit of palm leaf that women --- mostly village women --- use to enlarge the hole in the ear lobe so it can accept a big stud.

Pretty funny I reckon. Like a lot of the names used for keris associated things.

17th May 2022, 10:43 PM	#1
Athanase Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Paris (France) Posts: 408	Kebo keris from Bali Hello, Here is one of the Balinese Ke=riss who arrived home a few months ago. I like his blade with an unusual Dapur and would love to know more about it. Like half of the Keris I buy in France, the handle is stuck with glue the wrong way round. As I'm in the middle of work and relocation at the moment, I didn't have time to try to fix it. Attached Images

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17th May 2022, 11:54 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Could you please advise blade length? Thanks.

18th May 2022, 09:21 PM	#3
Marcokeris Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Italy Posts: 928	nice keris @@

18th May 2022, 09:59 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,113	It is obviously quite a bit shorter than the sheath. Are you suspecting this could be a Javanese blade Alan?

18th May 2022, 10:16 PM	#5
Athanase Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Paris (France) Posts: 408	Oh Sorry I forget the length. the blade length is 36cm.

19th May 2022, 12:09 AM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Thank you Athanase. So, 36cm = +/- 14.25 inches. After I asked my question I scaled it from your photos and came up with +/- 15" This keris, blade only, is not of Balinese origin, it was made in Jawa, probably East Jawa, but it has obviously been in Bali for a long time, as the blade finish is what we expect to see on a Balinese keris. Even without knowing the length, my first impression was that I was looking at a Javanese keris. We seldom meet with Balinese keris that have a Kebo form, and even though the greneng on this keris does show erosion, it seems to be clear that the original style of the rondha was a Javanese rather than a Balinese form. In fact, many Balinese keris that are regarded as pusaka keris originated in Jawa. I have one such keris, which was a family pusaka, it is quite small, only about 12.5" long, and singo barong, material is classifiable as Majapahit, and the hilt is very old ivory bhuta, the wrongko first half 19th century or earlier. The wrongko & hilt of your keris look to be at least pre-WWII, but the uwer is a much more recent production, I believe that you will find the "stones" to be plastic. I would not fiddle too much with this keris, a bit of TLC for the wrongko & hilt, good quality furniture wax or oil, replace the uwer, give the blade a good wash with dishwash detergent and hot water, dry thoroughly, drench with WD40 and allow to dry before painting with fragrant oil, that's it. The hilt being stuck is a bit of a problem, I'm not going to recommend anything here. There are a number of things that I would try if it were mine, but I cannot transfer my experience to you. The first, obvious thing is the old heat fix, this keris might not have a glued on hilt, rather, it might be rusted on, and if the tang gets broken taking the hilt off it can be a bit of a pain to remedy that situation. To my way of thinking this is a keris that is a definite keeper.

19th May 2022, 03:32 PM	#7
Athanase Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Paris (France) Posts: 408	Thank you very much for your answer. The uwer seems to be made from old glass bead. I had already put WD40 but I will clean it again according to your instructions.

19th May 2022, 09:52 PM	#8
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	The older ones of this type were glass, but usually I have found these "stones" to be plastic, try testing with a hot needle. There are a lot more plastic ones around than glass.

19th May 2022, 11:51 PM	#10
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Yeah, I didn't notice the bead, & it would be a replacement, but just the same, that uwer needs to go. Incidentally, a couple weeks back I found out what an "uwer" really is, besides being that little ring under a keris Hilt. It is the rolled up bit of palm leaf that women --- mostly village women --- use to enlarge the hole in the ear lobe so it can accept a big stud. Pretty funny I reckon. Like a lot of the names used for keris associated things.