Kris but from where

[mariusgmioc]

Hello,
A friend of mine bought this kris and would like to learn more about it. He has been told that the blade is of meteoric iron.

[Sajen]

Hello Marius,

It comes from Fantasy Island!

I guess that it's a most recent creation, the handle shows Balinese influence but it's non traditional carved. The blade is antique and from Java IMVHO.
Nobody can say if a blade is from meteoric iron without an analysis, it's a myth to make the keris more saleable.

Sorry for the bad news but I think it's better to tell the truth.

Regards,
Detlef

[A. G. Maisey]

This is so.

[Sajen]

Hello Alan,

Would you agree that the blade is possibly Javanese?

Regards,
Detlef

[David]

Detlef, i would say there is a possibility the blade could be an from Bali. The pamor reminds me of Bali work and the blade surface is polished. But i would not argue with anyone who felt strongly that it was from Java. Do we know the blade length?
I agree that this is a bit of a fantasy dress form and not suitable for traditional wear, but it is pretty unique. At least i have never seen anyone hollow out a stage horn like this to serve as a sarung. It is an interesting, though non-tradtional piece.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes Detlef, possibly of Javanese manufacture.

In fact a lot of keris that are in Balinese dress, & have been for many years, are Javanese. The finish on this blade is Balinese, the dress is extremely likely to have been made in Bali, the blade might have been in Bali for a long time, or it might have been polished when it was given this new dress.

In the hand it might be possible to be a bit more definite, but from photos we can have a lot of hypotheticals.

[Sajen]

@ David,

Yes, the blade could be Balinese but like Alan said, I've seen several Javanese blades in Balinese or Lombok dresses which have been polished.
I would agree with Alan, that a Balinese origin could be possible but also a Javanese origin.

@ Alan,

Thank you, my thoughts as well.

Regards,
Detlef

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

Hello,
A friend of mine bought this kris and would like to learn more about it. He has been told that the blade is of meteoric iron.

I think it might be an old bilah but meteoric? If it is old, then it is not meteoric as that kind of material is costly and only certain high level (rich/powerful) people can have that kind of material.

[David]

Originally Posted by Anthony G.

I think it might be an old bilah but meteoric? If it is old, then it is not meteoric as that kind of material is costly and only certain high level (rich/powerful) people can have that kind of material.

Yeah, i was going to address that claim, but then decided to ignore it. The odds of meteoric pamor in this keris is extremely unlikely. The meteoric pamor claim is one you often hear from people trying too hard to sell a keris. I would say that the blade is indeed sincerely old. Frankly the older the blade is the more likely there would not be meteorite in the pamor as i have still never seen any evidence that the material was used in any keris prior to the Prambanan meteorite fall in the late 18th century. It is a debate that has been argued so many times that is seem useless to enter into again unless someone can truly offer some valid evidence that the use of meteorite in keris was an acknowledged process BEFORE the Prambanan Fall.