Keris Melayu - all original & unmessed with

BluErf · 28th January 2007, 03:36 AM

This is as good as "originality" gets.

The sheath is original to the blade. The hilt was probably made to fit the pendoko. The pendok is original to the sheath. The hilt is in perfect proportion to the sampir.

The question I have is where did this Malay keris come from? The sheath form looks like it could be from Riau, but then again, it looks too broad and the jawa demam looks rather Malay Peninsula. If it is peninsular (which I am inclined to think), which part of the Peninsula? Kedah? Pahang? Has anyone seen a keris attributed to these parts of the Peninsula?

http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_album.php

Battara · 28th January 2007, 09:00 PM

Wonderful piece and the grains and silver are beautiful.

One other possibility is that it is a chieftain's piece. I know that Bugis chieftain's keris' are wide with flashy grains like yours and similar pamor.

BluErf · 29th January 2007, 01:59 PM

I think this keris is a Malay keris, so it could be a Malay village headman's keris. The Bugis have pistol-gripped kerises, while the Jawa Demam hilt is usually associated with Malay kerises (though Malay kerises have pistol-grips too).

When I first saw this keris, its Southern Malay-ness attracted me. It was very Malay Malay, if I may say that.

rasdan · 29th January 2007, 04:09 PM

Hi Blu,

If the oversheath is original, I think it is higher than a headman's keris. A prince or a rich businessman perhaps. IMHO, original silver oversheath is very very rare for a Malay keris. Even the pusaka of the state of Pahang (a Bendahara descendant) does not have an oversheath. The pusaka of Selangor, a keris panjang (Berok Berayon) and Perak's pusaka keris Seri Gading didnt have an oversheath. But, of course old pusaka not nesscesarily have oversheaths. One keris with an original old silver oversheath is the Kapak Cina (not the one with the Banjarmasin hilt).

A. G. Maisey · 29th January 2007, 08:34 PM

Has the pendok tested as silver?

BluErf · 30th January 2007, 01:14 PM

Hello Rasdan,

Thanks for the information. Then it must be providence that Adni acquired another keris Melayu from a different source, with a different sampir form, but with an extremely similar silver pendok made by a different silversmith.

We were joking that the 2 kerises were brothers and had an agreement to arrive in Adni's shop at the same time, from different places.

Hi Alan,

I didn't test the pendok for silver, but when it was acquired, it had a yellow-brown patina on it. I used a silver cloth to polish the pendok back to it's current shiny state.

28th January 2007, 03:36 AM	#1
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Keris Melayu - all original & unmessed with This is as good as "originality" gets. The sheath is original to the blade. The hilt was probably made to fit the pendoko. The pendok is original to the sheath. The hilt is in perfect proportion to the sampir. The question I have is where did this Malay keris come from? The sheath form looks like it could be from Riau, but then again, it looks too broad and the jawa demam looks rather Malay Peninsula. If it is peninsular (which I am inclined to think), which part of the Peninsula? Kedah? Pahang? Has anyone seen a keris attributed to these parts of the Peninsula? http://www.kampungnet.com.sg/modules...view_album.php Attached Images

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28th January 2007, 09:00 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,268	Wonderful piece and the grains and silver are beautiful. One other possibility is that it is a chieftain's piece. I know that Bugis chieftain's keris' are wide with flashy grains like yours and similar pamor.

29th January 2007, 01:59 PM	#3
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I think this keris is a Malay keris, so it could be a Malay village headman's keris. The Bugis have pistol-gripped kerises, while the Jawa Demam hilt is usually associated with Malay kerises (though Malay kerises have pistol-grips too). When I first saw this keris, its Southern Malay-ness attracted me. It was very Malay Malay, if I may say that.

29th January 2007, 04:09 PM	#4
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 368	Hi Blu, If the oversheath is original, I think it is higher than a headman's keris. A prince or a rich businessman perhaps. IMHO, original silver oversheath is very very rare for a Malay keris. Even the pusaka of the state of Pahang (a Bendahara descendant) does not have an oversheath. The pusaka of Selangor, a keris panjang (Berok Berayon) and Perak's pusaka keris Seri Gading didnt have an oversheath. But, of course old pusaka not nesscesarily have oversheaths. One keris with an original old silver oversheath is the Kapak Cina (not the one with the Banjarmasin hilt).

29th January 2007, 08:34 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,984	Has the pendok tested as silver?

30th January 2007, 01:14 PM	#6
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Hello Rasdan, Thanks for the information. Then it must be providence that Adni acquired another keris Melayu from a different source, with a different sampir form, but with an extremely similar silver pendok made by a different silversmith. We were joking that the 2 kerises were brothers and had an agreement to arrive in Adni's shop at the same time, from different places. Hi Alan, I didn't test the pendok for silver, but when it was acquired, it had a yellow-brown patina on it. I used a silver cloth to polish the pendok back to it's current shiny state.