20th Century Solonese Keris

[A. G. Maisey]

Shown below are a number of wooden Madura handles.

They are randomly mixed and of only ordinary quality. Frankly, I find it very difficult to declare that the older ones are superior in any way to the ones from the current era.

Shown also is an old ivory pedang handle, and a brand new ivory pedang handle. I can see little or no difference in the quality of workmanship.

[A. G. Maisey]

Ganjawulung, it can be of considerable interest for the names of current era pandai keris to be known, however, this is a twin edged sword.

Some current era makers, for reasons of their own, prefer to maintain a low profile. Apart from the makers you have named, since the 1980's there have been a number of other makers in Solo, some quite minor, others quite well known for a while. Many have now moved to other ways of making a living.

Over the years a number of less than honest dealers have marketed keris in the western world as the product of one or another of the better known makers, when in fact these keris were the product of lesser known people, and in some cases were low quality blades from Madura or Surabaya.

At the request of one well known Solo maker I have always refrained from publishing his name, and have in general followed the policy of being very sparing in the use of current era Solo makers names, except in the case of high profile people such as Empu Suparman Supowijaya (alm.), or Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo.

In Jawa, it can under some circumstances be a very positive thing for individual makers to be named and known, but in Jawa the expertise exists to identify the work of these makers. In the western world, it is not always in a maker's best interests, nor in the best interests of collectors, to have a maker's name become public property.

Incidentally, who is the "senior Sukadgo (Solo)" from whom Pak Bandi recieved instruction?

[David]

Thanks for showing these hilts Alan. Just for the record i believe the hilts that Marco was referring to and certainly the ones i meant when agreeing with him are the fanciful new models which bear no resemblence to these classic styles of hilt forms. I'll see if i can find some examples to post. I think the Madurese have always been damn good carvers and the quality of that work, at it's best, seems to continue to this day.
I do understand, to a point, your case of the "double-edged sword". I suppose i am looking at this from a more ideal world viewpoint. It just seems right to give credit where credit is due. But i can also see how in this imperfect world that might lead to deception and confusion.
It is not at this point in time much in my personal interest to own a keris based upon the name of it's maker. I would want to own a keris based more on my own impressions of it's style, execution and feel. But i do understand that other collectors have different criteria for what they collect and might be enticed to buy a keris based on false information about it's maker. That would indeed be unfortunate.

[ganjawulung]

Dear Alan,

Subandi, or his formal name now (named by Keraton Solo) Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung (KRT) Subandi Supaningrat, wrote in KERIS magazine (1st edition) that he had been two months with the senior Yosopangarso (elder brother of Empu Djeno in Yogyakarta). But the late Empu Yoso only gave basic instruction in keris making.

And on keris knowledge, his 'teacher' was for instance Mr Sukat (or Saukat?) so I've mistaken with Sukadgo. (See KERIS, page 50-51 on the Process of the Making of Pusakas). Very sorry for that big mistake. Sukat is an expertise in keris, like Mr Hardjonagoro or Go Tik Swan.

I know too, Mr Fauzan Pusposukadgo. Now he doesn't make kerises no more and has changed his profession. The wellknown of his work is dhapur "gumbeng", it was the German Dietrich Drescher who promoted that work (if I'm not mistaken). You still may see this gumbeng in Bambang Harsrinuksmo's Ensiklopedi Keris.

I know also, that in the past many of Solonese keris maker "only" ordered the kodokan (forged iron for keris) from Madura, and than finished it in Solo, or shaping the kerises in Solo. Until the Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI, an art institute) Solo had their own besalen. (Now no more, but Yantono still has his own besalen at his house. You know it well).

Subandi now makes his own blade. He is one of the best. (Garap, or workmanship for the keris finishing, I'd prefer Sukamdi). Yes, many of the keris maker in the old days they were (if I may say) 'keris dealer'. But they learned from many kerises they sold. They were like reading books, and books, and books. Keris blade, or old keris blade is the keris book itself. You know it well...

[A. G. Maisey]

Thanks for your further explanation Ganjawulung. You had me a little bit confused there for a moment.

Yes, Pak Pauzan is pretty much out of the game now; he had some health problems a few years back, and as a consequence changed his life-style. That keris dapur gumbeng carries the pamor Poleng Wengkon, which was the design of Mr. Dietrich Drescher. A keris of this design and pamor, and named Kiyahi Sureng Karya was presented to Bapak Menko Polkam H. Surono.During his working life, Pak Pauzan made a very wide range of keris styles and pamors, and often worked in the style of Mataram. He created some incredibly beautiful keris naga.

When I mentioned dealers, I was in no way referring to any makers, part-time makers , or anybody who is or was in any way associated with making. I was referring to people, in fact one in particular, who are exclusively dealers and who operated, and still operate in some cases, principally in the western world.

Oh yes David, some of the recent flights of fancy of Madurese carvers are wee bit extreme, but it really gets back to the buyer:- if the buyer is prepared to pay solid money, and can appreciate good craftsmanship, he can obtain excellent quality new work; if he is not prepared to pay the price of excellent work, and cannot differentiate between good craftsmanship, and pedestrian craftsmanship, then he will finish up with lesser pieces.
When I selected these handles to photograph, I deliberately chose very ordinary handles. Yes, the ivory ones are superior, but the wooden ones are ordinary, and would only command ordinary prices, whether old or new.It comes back to the buyer's ability to recognise craftsmanship.When people stop buying second rate doodleings of children, then we can expect to see an increase in the quality of the items being offered.

[Marcokeris]

David you are right about handles western - taste but Ganja's keris is beautiful even if I see a little western taste in the innovation (the birds could be from some first Disney' movie and, even if they are not been made like a deity they are full of beauty and sense). So i can see a good innovation in this keris!
On the contrary in a western taste handle i have never found innovation but, even if the work is beautiful, a "tuneless thing"

Alan, anyway your handles (old or new) are "classic". The feeling is good!!
I don't like modern handle (even if with the best work ofthe world) with classic pattern like: madura bali-style handle with two-three-four... sides with different faces of a deity; or strange dragons, or strange snakes ,or a "babel" of deities all together... and so on

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, I understand what you are saying Marco.

However.

Many of these new pattern handles are not intended to be used as keris handles. They are created expressly for the handle collector market as minor works of art, which of course, they are.

The collection of handles is a legitimate branch of keris art collecting. Even PBX was into it, and commissioned small sculptures in the form of keris handles, which were never intended for fitting to a keris, but as works of art in their own right.

There is a wide range of small sculptures in the form of keris handles, as well as all levels of quality of handles intended for use with keris, and although you identify "western taste" as a design factor, I am afraid that I cannot isolate any of these handles as being able to be classified as "western taste". Possibly some of the more pornographic of these small sculptures might not be very welcome in public in Jawa, but in other parts of Indonesia , Indonesians will get a laugh out of them, just as will a tourist from New York or Sydney.

We sometimes tend to forget that much of the art that we now view as Javanese, or Balinese, or whatever, is derived from the artistic traditions of other cultures.

Of course, there can be well executed art, and poorly executed art, and to confuse matters even more, we all have differing tastes.

[Raden Usman Djogja]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

We sometimes tend to forget that much of the art that we now view as Javanese, or Balinese, or whatever, is derived from the artistic traditions of other cultures.

Alan,

I agree.
Based on Pramoedya's research, the designer of uniforms (blangkon etc, epsecially for king, princes and other royal family members) which are, now, claimed as one of Javanese identities were Dutches.
Only mixed tradition/culture exists.