Thoughts on Madura Kris

[G. Mansfield]

I received in this Madura Kris recently. I am guessing it dates from the late 19th to early 20th century, not entirely old. It has an intricately carved donoriko ivory hilt with a rich dark orange patina. Carved with floral and lotus motifs. On the inside is a horse spreading its wings characterized by a massive upper section. I am assuming the legendary winged horse Jaran Semberani, also known as Kuda Panoleh, which was the emblem of the Madurese Sultan of Sumenep. The reverse outside section may be an 8 spoked cakra. It has a brass mendak with beaded edges holding four red (ruby?) and four white (diamond?) stones. I am unsure if the stones are glass or semi-precious, but they do look old and have a rough cut to them.
The blade is double- edged iron- nickel with high contrast pamor wavy blade and looks to be 13 luk.

The sheath is not the original sheath as it does not fit but was included in the sale. It is of a polished exotic wood, possibly a burl teak(?), with a white metal pendok. The front is extensively chased in birds, foliage and numerous designs.

The question that I have is, the blade does not show much age to it, is it a newer blade or original to the dress? Cleaned? It does seem to be a good quality blade but does not have the patina like other kris daggers that I own. However, the other kris daggers that I have are much older. What are your thoughts on the blade in relation to the rest? As the sheath does not fit properly, is the sheath in Madura style or East Jawa? Could the sheath have been for the original blade or has it been changed at some point? I would like to hear your thoughts and anything else that you can tell me about this piece.

-Geoffrey

[G. Mansfield]

More Photos..

[Sajen]

Hello Geoffrey,

Only the beautiful handle is of Madura origin. The scabbard is of Central Javanese origin and old, in the Jogya gayaman style as is the nice pendok.
I am unsure if the blade is indeed Karmadikan, it looks fairly old to my eyes and I guess as well a Central Javanese origin. So only the handle is Madurese IMO. I guess that others will chime in and it could be that there are other opinions about the blade!

Regards,
Detlef

[David]

Well, i think this is a lovely keris. I agree with Detlef that the wrongko and pendok are Yogyakarta, but i am not so sure on the blade, which is a bit confusing to me. It does seem like a nicely crafted blade, but frankly the greneng seems a bit of a chaotic mess. I would think that if this were an older blade, considering the quality of the rest of the work, that they would have cut a more accurate greneng. When we turn the photo upside down for a proper reading orientation, the gandik does slant in rather sharply which an indication of a Madurese style. So could this be a karmardian blade made in Madura by a skilled smith who just didn't have the knowledge to cut a proper ron dha?
The ivory donoriko hilt is beautiful and has the colour of a caramel confection. You have identified the winged horse as "Jaran Semberani", but i believe Kuda Sembrani is how it is generally recognized. However, the winged horse of Madura that is usually associated with the Regional Emblem of Sumenup is known as Si Mega. Centainly these are related mythologies that stem from Arabic traditions.

"Another symbol we meet in Madurese heraldry is the winged horse (Pegasus in Western terminology). The winged horse is mentioned in the story of Joko tolè, son of the Putri (princess) Kuning, who was a grandchild of Pangeran Bukabu of Sumenep. Joko tolè and his brother Joko wedi had been conceived by way of a dream encounter between Putri Kuning and their father Adipoday. While journeying to Majapahit to assist his stepfather named Empu Kelleng, Joko tolè met with his uncle, Adirasa, who gave him the flying horse Si Mega and a whip, both of which had been entrusted to him by Adipoday. The winged horse Si Mega is still the regional emblem of Sumenep. The whip, too, is one of Madura’s well known souvenirs, and the names Jokotole and Putri Kuning (Madurese: ‘Pottre Koneng’) can be found on the ferry boats which run between Surabaya and the Madurese port of Kamal.
The Indonesian winged horse is of Persian origin and is probably the emblem of the Master of the Horses (also known in the Roman Empire as the Magister Equitum). This would mean that a prince of Sumenep at a time held the office of Master of the Horses or that the Sumenep Dynasty held the office as a hereditary fief (within a Mataram or Dutch military organization)."

I hope the hilt has not been glued in place. It should be rotated 180 degrees for a proper orientation. I would need better shots of the mendhak to make any guessed on the stones. They could be real stones, but it's unlikely they would be diamonds and rubies. Possibly clear quartz and garnet. But glass is also not unlikely.