15 luk Bali?

A. G. Maisey · 22nd December 2011, 09:22 PM

It is finely polished, Jean, but I feel it is not a particularly old blade. My opinion is purely based on a minor aspect of stylistic execution, and I must emphasise:- it is only opinion.

It is true that Lombok blades very often have a textured finish, however, a Bali-style blade that originates from Lombok could have either type of finish, and very often, recently cleaned and stained blades originating from Bali have the same type of finish, because the blade gets sent to Jawa to be cleaned and stained.

I feel that the whole subject of whether a Bali-style blade originates from Bali or Lombok becomes quite confused, and especially with older blades it is very probably a specious distinction, as when Lombok was colonised by Bali, that part of Lombok which was governed by Bali was very probably regarded as Balinese by the Balinese.

Peoples of the Archipelago tend not to view water as a barrier, but rather as an open roadway, so the Euro-centric idea of islands being separated one from the other was not an automatic assumption in the minds of the peoples of the Archipelago.

I feel that an adequate designation for this keris would be:- "Balinese keris, possibly originating from Lombok"

Jean · 23rd December 2011, 09:11 AM

Thank you Alan, and I fully agree with what you say.
Regarding the polishing of the Balinese blades, I would like to share a recent experience: the huge Balinese blade shown on the picture (50 cm long excluding the peksi) was sent to Bali for cleaning and staining as it also needed a new sheath. The result was quite disappointing and I think that the surface would have been smoother and the pamor contrast more apparent if the work had been performed in Solo according to my previous experiences. Note that the dapur of this blade is quite similar to the one belonging to Ivoke, but with 15 luks (dapur Carita Buntala or Buntala).
Regards

23rd December 2011, 09:11 AM	#2
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Thank you Alan, and I fully agree with what you say. Regarding the polishing of the Balinese blades, I would like to share a recent experience: the huge Balinese blade shown on the picture (50 cm long excluding the peksi) was sent to Bali for cleaning and staining as it also needed a new sheath. The result was quite disappointing and I think that the surface would have been smoother and the pamor contrast more apparent if the work had been performed in Solo according to my previous experiences. Note that the dapur of this blade is quite similar to the one belonging to Ivoke, but with 15 luks (dapur Carita Buntala or Buntala). Regards Attached Images

22nd December 2011, 09:22 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	It is finely polished, Jean, but I feel it is not a particularly old blade. My opinion is purely based on a minor aspect of stylistic execution, and I must emphasise:- it is only opinion. It is true that Lombok blades very often have a textured finish, however, a Bali-style blade that originates from Lombok could have either type of finish, and very often, recently cleaned and stained blades originating from Bali have the same type of finish, because the blade gets sent to Jawa to be cleaned and stained. I feel that the whole subject of whether a Bali-style blade originates from Bali or Lombok becomes quite confused, and especially with older blades it is very probably a specious distinction, as when Lombok was colonised by Bali, that part of Lombok which was governed by Bali was very probably regarded as Balinese by the Balinese. Peoples of the Archipelago tend not to view water as a barrier, but rather as an open roadway, so the Euro-centric idea of islands being separated one from the other was not an automatic assumption in the minds of the peoples of the Archipelago. I feel that an adequate designation for this keris would be:- "Balinese keris, possibly originating from Lombok"