First Keris

[RAMBA]

I picked up this small Keris the other week and it is my first foray into this type of weapon. I just liked the wood work and its small nature.

I believe it is an Indonesian Buginese keris from Sulawesi. As to age i'm not sure but would suspect late 19th early 20th C.

Not an area that i think i will move into in a big way but nice to have some examples.

Comments welcome.

Thanks

[David]

Well, i'd say you made a might fine "first foray" into the world of keris. This looks like a fine original example of a 19th century Bugis keris. I would also say Sulawesi.

[kai]

Well, Bugis-influenced for sure - most likely Sumatra (East coast). A fine ensemble, congrats!

Yes, these blades tend to be on the small side. I'd be guessing at 19th c. (no signs of 20th c manufacture in my book).

Regards,
Kai

[Gustav]

Exactly, Sumatra or the South of Malay Peninsula.

Only hilt looks a bit like Sulawesi yet has an atypical high Bungkul, to accommodate a longer Pesi then usual for Sulawesi.

[Jean]

Kai and Gustav,
Could you please explain to us why you are rather placing this kris In East Sumatra or South Malaysia and not Sulawesi? I don't necessarily disagree but I am not sure myself.
BTW the selut is oversized (so not original to the hilt) and should preferably be replaced.
Regards

[RAMBA]

Originally Posted by Jean

Kai and Gustav,
Could you please explain to us why you are rather placing this kris In East Sumatra or South Malaysia and not Sulawesi? I don't necessarily disagree but I am not sure myself.
BTW the selut is oversized (so not original to the hilt) and should preferably be replaced.
Regards

been looking at a similar example on a dealers site described as from Sumatran or Bugis Straights. Similar over sized selut too.

[RAMBA]

Originally Posted by David

Well, i'd say you made a might fine "first foray" into the world of keris. This looks like a fine original example of a 19th century Bugis keris. I would also say Sulawesi.

I was there bidding on something else and this came up and did not get much interest. There was another all silver (scabbard and hilt weighty and fine work) one that I bid on but went out of my area of competence in terms of price so let it go.

[Sajen]

Agree with Kai and Gustav, Sumatra or South of Malay Peninsula. Very nice first keris, congrats!

Regards,
Detlef

[Jean]

Originally Posted by RAMBA

been looking at a similar example on a dealers site described as from Sumatran or Bugis Straights. Similar over sized selut too.

It does not prove anything?
What is the blade length please?
Regards

[kai]

Hello Jean,

Could you please explain to us why you are rather placing this kris In East Sumatra or South Malaysia and not Sulawesi?

Keris from Sulawesi come in a bewildering variety of blades and fittings; thus, it's tough to generalize. However, the stem of the scabbard tends to distinctly taper towards the foot - a stem with an almost equal width along its length is a feature indicating Malay origins.

These small-size blades are very common in the Melakka Straits area (Gustav is correct that it's usually next to impossible to distinguish between the eastern Sumatran coast and the western Malay coast). The very bulky crosspieces seem to have been especially favored along the Sumatran East coast down to Jambi and Palembang; including the islands off the Sumatran coast, the odds are kinda swayed towards Sumatra rather than Johore and neighboring areas though.

Also the flow of lines of the blade tends to be more subtle for keris Melayu while those from Sulawesi tend to be more bold.

BTW the selut is oversized (so not original to the hilt) and should preferably be replaced.

We'd need a shot from above to verify. Some of these selut exhibit a pronounced distance between the outer rim and the opening for the bungkul; from the last pic, this may be one of this type (a little skrinkage of the wood due to low humidity might explain minor gaps).

Regards,
Kai

[Jean]

Thank you Kai, I basically agree with you especially about the tapered stems (ref. the book Senjata pusaka Bugis for instance) but as you say it is tough to generalize. Some Bugis scabbards from East Sumatra or Malaysia are quite small and have a different style of sampir with small "horns" at the tips (like Detlef's specimen), or a rounded stem tip.
What about the hilts?
Regards

[RAMBA]

Originally Posted by Jean

It does not prove anything?
What is the blade length please?
Regards

31 cms to tip.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by RAMBA

31 cms to tip.

Thank you, this a quite short blade indeed so more probably East Sumatra/ Malaysia.
Regards