Hi Alan,
I agree with most of what you said, as I could find other examples myself.
Except....
At the Asian Art Museum, there was a line three blocks long before opening time. It was a "free" Sunday, and there was a $5 charge to see their Art of the Samurai exhibit. Even when I came back in the mid-afternoon, there was a block-long line that went straight in the entrance, paid their $5, and went straight into the "Samurai" galleries. We were in that group.
They even had a teenage volunteer dressed up in mock samurai armor (right down to the high-top sneakers and fake katana) answering questions out front.
Inside the Art of the Samurai, there were exhibits that I couldn't get within 10 feet of. They were the tachi blades. Just blades, no hardware. All these guys (and a few women) were studying the blades, and some were explaining, in hushed and reverent tones, about the hamon line and all that to girlfriends who were trying not to roll their eyes.
When I went to the permanent gallery, there was a similar clot around the two katanas on permanent display.
Lots of people stopped to look at the keris displays, but most didn't stop very long. The keris were weird, the labels were small and uninformative, and the blades were obviously not cared for.
Even though I don't collect keris, I read this board is because the blades you guys have are gorgeous. This is what I'm hoping someone will convey to these conservators; that they could, fairly cheaply, turn a bare-bones display into one of the hidden treasures of their museum.
This is why I decided to say something. Yes, I agree that the conservators tend to be politically correct. On the other hand, this is San Francisco, and there's a large audience of martial artists and fanboys who love blades. Trouble is, they don't know how gorgeous a properly cared-for keris is.
Wouldn't it be good to enlighten them a bit?
Best,
F
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