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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 132
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Dear All,
As the title said, I would like to know better about these 2 techniques of gold ornamentation for Keris. By searching this forum I’ve found this explanation from Alan Maisey: Kinatah is the Indonesian equivalent of koftgari and the most usual method of application of the gold is by a similar method, ie, carve the foundation for the ornamentation in relief and roughen the surface with chisel cuts, then apply the gold leaf. There are other less traditional and much less good methods. Sinarasah involves making a hole in the blade. The bottom of the hole is wider than the top, gold is hammered into the hole and smoothed level with the blade surface. This is used for calligraphy mostly. Sometimes this method can be used as a sort of substitute for kinatah, when a big lump of gold is left proud of the blade surface, and then that lump of gold is carved. From browsing several keris websites, I’ve found that the consensus is that Kinatah is considered as a SUPERIOR technique than Sinarasah but no further explanations provided. Hence my questions are: 1. Why is Kinatah considered superior than Sinarasah? Is it because it is more difficult to do and the results are better? 2. How can you tell that the gold ornamentation found in Keris is the result of Kinatah or Sinarasah? Thank you. |
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#2 |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,082
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Yohan, i'm not sure it is always a matter of which method is "superior", but rather which methods suits the need. For instance, i might be wrong, but i would image that the heavy pieces of gold that stick out from the bottom of this gonjo must have been adhered using the Sinarasah method, otherwise they would be too prone to falling off. But i am sure that Alan and other here will have more information about this.
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#3 |
Vikingsword Staff
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,282
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I think that gold leaf would be more prone to wear compared to the other method which is essentially inlay .
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#4 | |
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Regards |
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#5 | |||
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,249
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Hello YS,
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If the gold seems to be sitting on top of the blade, it could be both methods and most people would call it kinatah without a second thought. Sometimes, you can spot the surface scratching to attach true kinatah along the margins of the gold work - if the work is good (and without missing bits from wear/etc.), there shouldn't be any clues visible though. If done in the same quality, I'd rather opt for sinarasah-style attachment since this is likely to be more stable in the long run! BTW, for big lumps of gold like elephant/tiger/etc. standing proud of the blade, there usually is some iron base left on the wilah/gonjo which then get's covered by gold: This helps to avoid spending more for precious metals than necessary and, more importantly, provides a very secure attachment! While this may also be subsumed under the kinatah category, it is much more stable and I can't remember having seen any examples with the typical scratching on the surface... Actually, there is at least one more (sub)type of attachment: Sometimes a tiny chisel is utilized to cut into the iron and bend it upwards - with a few of these curved "tooths" standing proud of the surface and an irregular hole in the middle, this also offers a very secure attachment for any gold work (possibly including inset gems)! Again, most people would also refer to it as kinatah even if the construction principle might be closer to sinarasah... Regards, Kai Last edited by kai; 11th April 2019 at 07:18 PM. |
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#6 | |
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Join Date: Apr 2019
Posts: 132
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Thank you David, Rick and kai for your explanations.
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Cheers, YS |
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#7 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Dear Kai,
Would you classify the gold work on the blade shown by David as kinatah or sinarasah? Regards |
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#8 | |
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Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,249
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Dear Jean,
Our post crossed - my comments were directed at Yohan's questions. Quote:
![]() As a default, I'd assume that the figurines have an iron core which was pre-modelled on the gonjo. The gold layer may be thin, indeed. I believe this most likely would be subsumed under kinatah by Jawa standards. Regards, Kai |
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#9 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,803
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Yes Kai, you're pretty right;- see a bit gold, or gold plate, or gilt, or brass on a blade, the common term is "Kinatah".
This is often technically wrong, but it is only in serious, analytical discussion that the correct technical terms get used --- if people do in fact know them. David's Example The work on David's keris is kinatah work, the two little protuberances on top of the gonjo could be achieved with other methods, but are most likely to be gonjo material left proud and then the gold foil applied. Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 13th April 2019 at 02:17 AM. Reason: DAVID'S EXAMPLE |
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