Katar with a retractable blade for identification

A. G. Maisey · 23rd June 2026, 03:51 AM

This post has nothing to do with Indian arms, it concerns keris, but the principle is the same.

I once knew a very famous man who was a recognised authority on Indonesian art, & most particularly on Javanese art & Javanese keris, he has left us now.

But he was internationally known as the go-to expert for all things related to Javanese art, he assisted the writers of some very famous books & was highly respected as an authority on keris.

He was also wealthy beyond any common understanding of wealthy, & was a constant & ready buyer for keris & other artistic objects.

He was treasured by some less than honest craftsmen, modifiers & dealers in Jawa because of his readiness to buy any keris or keris-like object that was offered to him, provided it was something he had not previously seen.

At least one of these famous art books contains photos of keris & objects that were manufactured specifically for purchase by this famous expert & are identified in that book as being from a time long past.

The real experts in the world of art are the forgers, shonks & ripoff merchants.

23rd June 2026, 03:51 AM	#10
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,230	This post has nothing to do with Indian arms, it concerns keris, but the principle is the same. I once knew a very famous man who was a recognised authority on Indonesian art, & most particularly on Javanese art & Javanese keris, he has left us now. But he was internationally known as the go-to expert for all things related to Javanese art, he assisted the writers of some very famous books & was highly respected as an authority on keris. He was also wealthy beyond any common understanding of wealthy, & was a constant & ready buyer for keris & other artistic objects. He was treasured by some less than honest craftsmen, modifiers & dealers in Jawa because of his readiness to buy any keris or keris-like object that was offered to him, provided it was something he had not previously seen. At least one of these famous art books contains photos of keris & objects that were manufactured specifically for purchase by this famous expert & are identified in that book as being from a time long past. The real experts in the world of art are the forgers, shonks & ripoff merchants.