Pamor Udan Mas

A. G. Maisey · 21st May 2012, 11:36 PM

Simple dhapur.

Simple pamor.

Same time period.

Same point of geographic origin.

All blades competently made.

Do we really expect to see any variation?

This is what the appraisal of keris is all about:- they are not supposed to display invention and imagination, they are supposed to display uniformity.

Think about it:- if a keris is produced for local consumption, it needs to be made within very narrow parameters in order to be fitted to a correctly formed and proportioned set of dress. If the maker is working to a uniform pattern in one dimension of his work, its no real big effort to maintain that uniformity.

If you look at a selection of very high quality, but simple, Javanese blades from, say, the PBX era, you will find similar uniformity, even though the makers are different.

When we move from simplicity to complexity, say a dhapur with full ricikan, or a complex twist pamor, yes, there we will find the variation in execution that points to different hands being involved.

dbhmgb · 21st May 2012, 11:42 PM

Alan,

Thank you, that makes perfect sense.

Dan

GIO · 27th May 2012, 04:58 PM

Hi Jean,
Here is my blade.
Sorry for the bad pics: it is cloudy today.

Jean · 28th May 2012, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GIO

Hi Jean,
Here is my blade.
Sorry for the bad pics: it is cloudy today.

Thanks Gio, the blade looks similar indeed but from the pictures the pamor pattern is less regular than on the 2 others, may be made by a different person?

Regards

GIO · 29th May 2012, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jean

Thanks Gio, the blade looks similar indeed but from the pictures the pamor pattern is less regular than on the 2 others, may be made by a different person?

Regards

Yes, Jean. I seems that in my kris the dots are not regularly spread over the blade.

Paul B. · 24th January 2022, 01:21 PM

An UDAN MAS blade I spotted with 3 in a row dot arrangment.
Said to be a Tuban blade.

A. G. Maisey · 24th January 2022, 09:00 PM

Paul, it would be very unusual for a Tuban blade to have this pamor.

Tuban was not known for producing manipulated pamors of any kind.

A full length photo + a photo of the top of the gonjo would be useful in assisting a possible identification.

27th May 2012, 04:58 PM	#3
GIO Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 331	Hi Jean, Here is my blade. Sorry for the bad pics: it is cloudy today. Attached Images

24th January 2022, 01:21 PM	#6
Paul B. Member Join Date: Nov 2017 Posts: 205	An UDAN MAS blade I spotted with 3 in a row dot arrangment. Said to be a Tuban blade. Attached Images Last edited by Paul B.; 24th January 2022 at 02:46 PM.

21st May 2012, 11:36 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Simple dhapur. Simple pamor. Same time period. Same point of geographic origin. All blades competently made. Do we really expect to see any variation? This is what the appraisal of keris is all about:- they are not supposed to display invention and imagination, they are supposed to display uniformity. Think about it:- if a keris is produced for local consumption, it needs to be made within very narrow parameters in order to be fitted to a correctly formed and proportioned set of dress. If the maker is working to a uniform pattern in one dimension of his work, its no real big effort to maintain that uniformity. If you look at a selection of very high quality, but simple, Javanese blades from, say, the PBX era, you will find similar uniformity, even though the makers are different. When we move from simplicity to complexity, say a dhapur with full ricikan, or a complex twist pamor, yes, there we will find the variation in execution that points to different hands being involved.

21st May 2012, 11:42 PM	#2
dbhmgb Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Maryland, USA Posts: 112	Alan, Thank you, that makes perfect sense. Dan

24th January 2022, 09:00 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Paul, it would be very unusual for a Tuban blade to have this pamor. Tuban was not known for producing manipulated pamors of any kind. A full length photo + a photo of the top of the gonjo would be useful in assisting a possible identification.