First new acquisition

thomas hauschild · 27th January 2024, 07:14 PM

Dear all.

Lucky to get new keris from inside germany. I‘m not experienced enough to be sure with my opinion. So please help me with the classification.

Some hard to see, but slightly visible, some Schreger lines. My feeling is an old blade. Will need some care to make the pamor more visible.

Best Thomas

kai · 28th January 2024, 06:10 PM

Hello Thomas,

I'll bite. Yes, definitely an older blade: It's features are quite worn and most of the pamor is eroded; only the gonjo gives hints on what the blade might have originally looked like. These relic blades are not restorable to their former glory - what approach you take in preserving or even cleaning & re-staining is up to you. Fit to the scabbard is not convincing - this might be from fairly recent match-making.

Fittings are of good quality (you're lucky that the damage to the cross-piece is on the backside - this could be patched with epoxy). These Madura Donoriko hilts are usually carved from elephant ivory, indeed.

Due to condition issues, it will be difficult to narrow down the origin of the blade. I think it is consistent with Madura style and am looking forward to seeing comments by other forumites!

Regards,
Kai

A. G. Maisey · 28th January 2024, 10:23 PM

Pretty much so Kai, but there are elements in this blade that would indicate possibility of a Majapahit classification, this is NOT to say that it was necessarily made during the Majapahit era, but certainly within the general locality of Majapahit, & that does include Madura.

I'd be inclined to give it as Madura Sepuh, or alternatively as old east Jawa.

Yes, the wrongko /blade pairing is a marriage, but this is extremely common with older blades, especially older blades of rather ordinary quality. The wrongko looks like it is from burl teak (jati gembol), the blewah pendok is pre WWII.

I would not repair the wrongko with epoxy resin, but would gently sculpt the damage into a regular curved gap and then make a wood inlay, I would use tinted epoxy adhesive to set that inlay in place, then renovate & repolish the entire wrongko, it will come up very nicely.

Because teak is a rather oily wood, I would probably use dowels made from toothpicks to assist with the inlay adherence.

Yes, the Donoriko is most likely elephant ivory.

Not a bad old keris, shows its age, but certainly worth a bit of effort to tidy up.

27th January 2024, 07:14 PM	#1
thomas hauschild Member Join Date: May 2017 Location: Germany Posts: 139	First new acquisition Dear all. Lucky to get new keris from inside germany. I‘m not experienced enough to be sure with my opinion. So please help me with the classification. Some hard to see, but slightly visible, some Schreger lines. My feeling is an old blade. Will need some care to make the pamor more visible. Best Thomas Attached Images

28th January 2024, 06:10 PM	#2
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Hello Thomas, I'll bite. Yes, definitely an older blade: It's features are quite worn and most of the pamor is eroded; only the gonjo gives hints on what the blade might have originally looked like. These relic blades are not restorable to their former glory - what approach you take in preserving or even cleaning & re-staining is up to you. Fit to the scabbard is not convincing - this might be from fairly recent match-making. Fittings are of good quality (you're lucky that the damage to the cross-piece is on the backside - this could be patched with epoxy). These Madura Donoriko hilts are usually carved from elephant ivory, indeed. Due to condition issues, it will be difficult to narrow down the origin of the blade. I think it is consistent with Madura style and am looking forward to seeing comments by other forumites! Regards, Kai

28th January 2024, 10:23 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,895	Pretty much so Kai, but there are elements in this blade that would indicate possibility of a Majapahit classification, this is NOT to say that it was necessarily made during the Majapahit era, but certainly within the general locality of Majapahit, & that does include Madura. I'd be inclined to give it as Madura Sepuh, or alternatively as old east Jawa. Yes, the wrongko /blade pairing is a marriage, but this is extremely common with older blades, especially older blades of rather ordinary quality. The wrongko looks like it is from burl teak (jati gembol), the blewah pendok is pre WWII. I would not repair the wrongko with epoxy resin, but would gently sculpt the damage into a regular curved gap and then make a wood inlay, I would use tinted epoxy adhesive to set that inlay in place, then renovate & repolish the entire wrongko, it will come up very nicely. Because teak is a rather oily wood, I would probably use dowels made from toothpicks to assist with the inlay adherence. Yes, the Donoriko is most likely elephant ivory. Not a bad old keris, shows its age, but certainly worth a bit of effort to tidy up.