Keris Java Solo options please

[Patje1970]

The decoration/furniture of the keris seems more recent.
According the state of the keris it looks a lot older.

Does anyone knows the age of this keris? Please more info about pamor type

thanks

[Bjorn]

The pamor looks like regular wos wutah to me.
As for age, I wouldn't dare to venture a guess.

[David]

Welcome to the forum Patje.
I would say that in most cases an old keris is going to have relatively newer dress. You seem very interested in age based upon the questions you have also asked in your other threads. Age is, of course, not particularly easy to assess, especially based only upon viewing a blade from an internet photo. I think to would be fair to say that this keris has some age. Based only on the photos i would say it might be safe to place it in the 19th century, though, of course, it might be older. Condition is based upon the care given and the time in which a keris might have been taken out of circulation. Some blades that were collected for European collection in the 16th and 17th century still look like they might have been forged just a few years ago because they were stored away and never received any daily wear over the centuries.

[Bjorn]

In addition to what David wrote, I'd like to add that deterioration occurs much faster in a tropical climate.

[Patje1970]

Thanks for the information. Also look at my other messages if identifying the pamor is possible

thanks Pat

[David]

Originally Posted by Patje1970

Thanks for the information. Also look at my other messages if identifying the pamor is possible

thanks Pat

Pat, i believe Bjorn has already IDed your pamor. I would agree with his wos wutah assessment.

[kai]

Hello David, hello Bjorn,

Pat, i believe Bjorn has already IDed your pamor. I would agree with his wos wutah assessment.

In the same vein as Alan's comment in the other thread, there does seem to be an inflation of subclassifications of wos wutah (and other common pamor types). Considering the number of "islands" along the ada-ada, one might fancy mlinjon or so...

Given the coarse pamor and assuming that the broad lines are single layers, wouldn't be kulit semangka be a better fit? (It might easily be argued though that there is a continuum between wos wutah and kulit semangka, I guess?)

Regards,
Kai

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Kai, this is so.

Wos Wutah (beras wutah) is simply a random mlumah pamor, the same as ngulit semangka, but ngulit semangka uses thicker and less contrasting material. Personally I'd call this one ww.

All the sub classifications of ww seem to have blossomed out of nowhere, but some have been generated by material manipulation along the way, others by surface manipulation, others by natural erosion. In real life I very seldom hear anything but ww and ns.

[kai]

Thanks, Alan!