NEW FORMS OF KERIS HILTS

[VANDOO]

I HAVE NOTICED SEVERAL NEW FORMS OF KERIS HANDLES AVAILABLE CURRENTLY ON EBAY. I SEE NO PROBLEM WITH A DEPARTURE FROM TRADITIONAL FORMS AND WHEN THE KERIS WAS FIRST DEVELOPING I SUSPECT THERE WERE FEW FORMS OF HANDLE OR BLADE AVAILBLE.
NO DOUBT BLADE SHAPES, PARMORS, DESIGNS ON HANDLE AND SCABBARDS HAVE DEVELOPED TO WHERE THEY ARE TODAY FROM A SIMPLE BEGINNING.
MY QUESTION IS ARE THESE UNUSUAL NEW FORMS POPULAR WITH THE YOUNGER PEOPLE IN KERIS SOCIETY OR JUST NOVELTYS FOR COLLECTORS TO PURCHASE.
I AM CURRENTLY WATCHING A FEW AUCTIONS BY A EBAY SELLER AND WHEN THE AUCTIONS CLOSE I WILL TRY TO ADD A FEW PICTURES FOR EXAMPLES. IF YOU HAVE PICTURES OF ANY OF THE NEW FORMS FEEL FREE TO POST TO THIS TOPIC.
THIS RECENTLY CLOSED BUT SIMULAR EXAMPLES MAY BE FOR SALE??

THIS ONE IS INTERESTING IN THAT IT INCORPORATES DIVERSE DESIGNS AND FEATURES FROM QUITE A FEW SOURCES. I SEE A CARVED SKULL SUCH AS DAYAK OR TORAJA, A BUDDA AND HINDU DESIGNS ON THIS EXAMPLE AND IT STILL RETAINS SOME TRADITIONAL DESIGNS AS WELL AS REMAINING CLOSE TO A TRADITIONAL SHAPE.
HERE IS THE BASIC TRADITIONAL FORM THIS NEW HANDLE HAS CHANGED FROM FOR COMPARASON. THE SAME WOOD MAY HAVE BEEN USED ON BOTH HANDLES AS WELL?

[Rick]

Hi Barry,

This handle strikes me as pure fantasy .
Many modern carvers are just winging it these days; this is such an example IMO .

For Tourists ?
Seems to me like third rate work .

I doubt these fantastic variations such as this one have much basis in old
traditional forms .

Whatever sells and all that .
I couldn't speak for a Javanese collector ........

Rick

[A. G. Maisey]

Handles that depart from traditional forms possibly do have a place in modern keris art, after all these kemardikan keris have departed from traditional forms.

As new expressions of a traditional art, I guess I can grudgingly accept that when something ceases to grow it dies, goes rotten, and eventually disappears.

However --- if there is a departure from traditional forms, I would like to see at least some degree of finesse in execution of the new design. Just a touch of class would be nice.

[Rick]

Agree Alan, yet this piece seems way over the top IMHO .

No finesse shown there .

[David]

I see countless variations of these hilts that mostly seem based off the planar Javanese design. Many have skulls or snakes, sometimes in combination, or other animal forms worked into the design. Frankly i have an affinity for skulls and would like to eventually pick one of these up just for fun. I don't really take it seriously as a new keris hilt form and i'm pretty sure that the use of skulls and snakes is meant more to attract purchase from western collectors than any young members of keris society. I too would like to see some finesse added to the carvings, but thy seem to sell for $25-30 and you can't expect much for that. If it wasn't for the fact that the shipping costs more than the item on these i may have ordered one already just to add to my skull collection.
BTW, all of these seem to be coming from one seller in Jawa.
I also like to believe that keris art is still alive and therefore growing and developing. Here is an example of a new keris hilt which i love and think has a bit of the finesse these others are lacking.

[VANDOO]

A FEW MORE NOT AS RECENT AS THE FIRST EXAMPLE.
(NEW) ONE IS ODD AND HAS GARUDA AND NAGA ON THE SAME HANDLE AND IS STYALIZED. I CAN'T TELL IF THEY ARE FIGHTING OR JUST THERE TOGETHER?
(OLD) ANOTHER LOOKS TO BE HANUMAN
(OLD) A BALINESE FRUIT BAT
(NEW) A CROCODILE

BALI AND LOMBOK HAVE ALWAYS SEEMED TO HAVE A WIDER MORE VARIED RANGE IN FORMS OF KERIS HILT. AND TEND TO FEATURE CLEARER REPRESENTATIONS OF THEIR SUBJECTS. NO DOUBT DUE TO HINDU BELIEF VERSUS ISLAMIC ONES FOR WHAT IS PROPER IN ART. ARE THE NEW FORMS LIKE THE FIRST EXAMPLE A BREAK FROM TRADITION IN JAVA OR PERHAPS MADE IN MADURA?

I AGREE BETTER WORKMANSHIP ON THESE NEW HILTS WOULD BE NICE AND PERHAPS IF THERE IS A GOOD MARKET FOR THE PRODUCT THE CARVING WILL IMPROVE BUT THE PRICES WILL LIKELY RISE AS WELL.

[Rick]

Some of these are interesting .
The quality of carving really varies .
I'm not sure if it's the quality of the wood or the Carver's lack of sharpening skills .

[A. G. Maisey]

We're all pretty accustomed to the more usual forms of traditional keris hilts, however more than a few of the forms that we might think of as "new", or "recent" are in fact very rare forms of hilts that come from the time before the current era with its blossoming of new designs.

The example shown by David is one of these. This hilt that David has shown us is recently carved, however, I saw a number of hilts similar to this one --- maybe even the same -- in Malang with a very well known collector there, in the mid-1970's, well before the keris revival. These were old hilts.

I also have a photocopy of a privately produced book authored by a gentleman whom I knew as "Mister John" , here in Solo. He has passed away now, but he produced a number of books wherein he recorded very rare hilt and blade types that he had encountered. Recorded in this book are several hilts of this comical wayang style.

The hilt with the beast head pommel that Barry has shown is a modern interpretation of a traditional form.

Pakubuwana X of Surakarta had a penchant for the production, and reproduction of unusual hilt styles, and if one had not seen the originals of these and encountered only a recently carved version, one could easily think it was new innovation.

In respect of cost, good material for hilts is very difficult to obtain, and the best materials are expensive. The number of craftsmen who can produce first class work is extremely limited. I know of only two tukang jejeran who can produce first quality hilts in the Surakarta style --- and one of those prefers to go fishing rather than to carve hilts.

In Madura there is really only one man who can do first quality work, and he only works on hilts when he is not occupied in farming tobacco.His work is not cheap and if you order something from him you might wait 12 months or more before you see it.

In fact, best quality anything in keris prabot and wilah is the product of only a very, very few men. There was particular type of Solo mendak that I used to like to use. It was made by only one family. The last member of that family died about 2 years ago. We probably won't see any more of those mendak.

We do not ever see the best quality work offered on ebay, nor anywhere else. If you want the best you need to know somebody and then get on the end of queue.

[Rick]

Then this truly is a dying (or degrading) art form .
There are no rising stars ?

Very sad .

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Rick

Then this truly is a dying (or degrading) art form .
There are no rising stars ?

Very sad .

I've seen pictures posted here and many others. There are rising stars, which produced outstanding works.. precise and crispy looking carvings, etc.. but these goes into private collection immediately when presented for sale, not in open auctions but in private groups and online communities including BB (Blackberry) networks.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

The example shown by David is one of these. This hilt that David has shown us is recently carved, however, I saw a number of hilts similar to this one --- maybe even the same -- in Malang with a very well known collector there, in the mid-1970's, well before the keris revival. These were old hilts.

This is nice to know. I had assumed it was a new form because i had never seen anything quite like it. Would love to see some images of old examples if such things were ever available.

[Gustav]

It looks like a variation of a Rajamala hilt?

Yet could we really find such exagerated turn of the head like on David's hilt on earlier examples?

An old example.

[A. G. Maisey]

Rick, there is a body of very good craftsmen, and some of these men are still young, however, within the trade it is acknowledged that in Sumenep there is really only one supreme carver, he is an elderly man and it is not easy to get work from him.

The younger carvers do produce excellent work, but in my experience their work is unreliable and quality is patchy --- sometimes superb, sometimes ordinary.

In Bali there are whole villages of carvers who carve keris hilts as well as other forms. Some are good, some are ordinary, and the product can vary according to what the man had for breakfast.

In Central Jawa there are a lot of people who can carve hilts, but in Solo, only two who can be relied upon to do consistently excellent work. As I have said, one of these men prefers to go fishing, the other --- who is probably the best of these two --- lives in a kampung in very, very deprived circumstances, but living in a kampung means that he is subjected to being pulled this way and that by the necessities of his neighbours. His production is very limited.

As Alam Shah has said, there are competent people emerging. This has been the case for at least 40 years to my certain knowledge, however, although there is always a population of people who can do first quality work, most of these people drop out of the game when better opportunities present. I personally know a number of first class craftsmen who have moved away from making craft work and art work to accept positions in offices, factories, workshops, or as commercial representatives.

Again, as Alam Shah has told, the very best work is gone before it ever hits the open market. This applies to everything to do with keris, and also in other art and craft fields such as batik.

Many of the best craftsmen are essentially under contract to powerful dealers. Others have their work spoken for by buyers when it is only half finished. Others sell within a restricted field of buyers. The only way to get top quality work is to have the right connections, and these connections can take years to develop --- if they ever do.

The mendak situation is that particular forms of the well known Central Javanese granulated mendak have been the product of only one family for a very long time. I was told by Go Tik Swan ( Harjonegoro) in about 1986 that the entire production of these mendak came from only one man. This man died some years ago, and his son followed him, but that son has now passed away.

Old forms go, new forms appear. The art of the keris is very far from dead, it is alive and well, and judging by the prices paid at the top of the field, it is very healthy. Well, at least in Jawa it is.

David.

I have only once seen old examples of these comical wayang figure hilts, and that was more than 30 years ago.I have not ever seen them as photos in books, but I have seen drawings recording them. I am not talking about a form that is precisely the same as your hilt, I am talking about a type of hilt that is based on a comical interpretation of the wayang form.

Gustav.

No, David's hilt, and others of the same type, are not interpretations of the Rojomolo.

The rojomolo hilt form comes from the figure head of the royal barge of the Susuhunan of Solo. Traditionally these figure heads were carved for the barge by the crown prince. One figure head has been preserved in the Museum Radyo Pustoko in Solo, and another in the Museum Karaton in Solo. Both are spiritually powerful objects. The rojomolo is the spirit of the Bengawan Solo. The royal barges were used to travel from Surakarta down the length of the Bengawan to Surabaya, and then across to Sumenep in Madura. I think --- from memory--- the rojomolo figure head in the Radyo Pustoko was carved for PB IV by the crown prince, and that this barge was then used to go to Sumenep to collect the crown prince's official first wife. All this is memory and could be confused. I'll check it and correct if necessary.

I do have photos of these figureheads, but at the moment I cannot upload them.

Gustav, you would be utterly amazed, possibly struck dumb, by the figures that occur in some genuinely old--- pre-WWII--- keris hilts. We can have no preconceptions in this field. Yes, certainly the well known forms are seen again and again, but there must be millions of variations and the one-off or rare variations are very seldom seen.

[A. G. Maisey]

I said I'd check and correct my previous post if necessary.

Lebaran here, and things stopped for a couple of days, but I've got net access again now.

The Radyo Pustoko rojomolo was actually carved by PB IV when he was the crown prince.

The barge for which he carved it was made under his direction, and was used to bring the daughter of Bupati Cakraningrat from Madura to be his first wife.

Regular offerings need to be made to this rojomolo, because if they are not a foul odour fills the museum. Some people say it is a strong fishy odour, others say it smells like a corpse. Its a strong tradition, and seems to be real enough.