Keris Barcelona

[Tim Simmons]

One keris on show in Barcelona world museum. Looks kind of okay-ish to me.

[David]

It's hard to judge too much about this keris based upon these photos Tim, but the hilt is nothing to write home about. A fairly contemporary and primitive example of that hilt form as far as i can tell. I could be wrong, but the blade looks like it could be a Javanese keris singo with a bit of kanatah added. I can't tell if it is a particularly good or old example. If so the blade seems mis-dressed.

[kai]

Originally Posted by David

the hilt is nothing to write home about. A fairly contemporary and primitive example of that hilt form as far as i can tell.

I agree with David's understatement...

Despite Barcelona's emphasis on more recent art, exhibiting this piece as a (single?) keris example in any museum seems ill-advised.

Regards,
Kai

[A. G. Maisey]

Hilt made in Jogja, blade not Balinese, might be Jawa, might be Madura.

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Hilt made in Jogja, blade not Balinese, might be Jawa, might be Madura.

Hi Alan. I understand that these hilts were made for a time in Jawa for a Balinese market. What about this sheath. The photos aren't great, but the pattern on the pendok looks more Javanese than Balinese to my eye. And the shape and flow of the sheath (which i assume is ivory???) looks a bit off. Could this entire ensemble originate in Jawa?

[asomotif]

Here is the blade in upright position.

The complete keris in its combination is not a museum worthy example imo.

[A. G. Maisey]

David, I would need to look at method of construction of the pendok before I could give a definite opinion on where it was made, but now you have drawn my attention to the pendok motif, that I did no more than glance at yesterday, I can say that this motif contains a lot of Jogja sub-motifs.Additionally, as you have pointed out, the overall profile of the scabbard just doesn't look like Bali --- but it could get by as Lombok.

From what I can see, I think the atasan of the wrongko is genuine Bali or Lombok.

I very probably knew the man who produced the hilt, he might also have had a part in the pendok production. I would not take a stance against production of the entire thing in Jogja, beginning with a nice ivory atasan.

[Tim Simmons]

I should have added this pic. So it is not antique ? Age guess? I do not think that really matters although we all really want to see old one examples as collectors, but for a museum which is about culture as much as preserving the past it does not really matter. Do you think the shiny is gold?

[David]

Originally Posted by Tim Simmons

I should have added this pic. So it is not antique ? Age guess? I do not think that really matters although we all really want to see old one examples as collectors, but for a museum which is about culture as much as preserving the past it does not really matter. Do you think the shiny is gold?

Tim, it is not a question of age at all really. The question for me, in fact, is about culture. What culture does this keris represent, Javanese, Bali, Lombok? The question for me is whether this dress came together in a legitimate cultural context or if it is more a dealer special, cobbled together with pieces that do not represent the same keris culture.
The photo you added is a little helpful, but for me not that much. Others might be able to glean more from it. The Singo seems a bit odd to me, but this doesn't look like a Lombok blade (it certainly isn't Balinese) and so from what i can see i would still place it in Jawa . I cannot tell from the image if the kinatah (the shiny) is real gold or not. It appears to be a blade that has some age at least. But the hilt is certainly contemporary and as Alan has pointed out, a Bali style that was probably made in Jawa. Alan would know more about what market such hilts were specifically made for, but many collectors tend to look at this particular type of hilt as not being all that serious of an effort. They often show up on more touristy ensembles. And the pendok is using Jogya motifs that would seem out of place for a keris meant for Bali. It's not so surprising to find a Javanese blade dressed for another keris culture, but it does seem odd that it would then use Javanese motifs visible to the public as well as this type of hilt.