Appreciation of a Bugis kind

BluErf · 19th October 2008, 05:54 AM

Haven't started any threads for a long time, so thought I'd do so and share pictures of a keris I acquired recently. Some of you would probably recognize it, even though I've changed the hilt and pendoko to something more appropriate.

Ok, this is straits Bugis keris blade, dressed in what I believe to be a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath. So accordingly, I've replaced the hilt it came with (which was probably a copy made by a Javanese/Madurese carver) with an old hilt of Terengganu/Kelantan origin. As to why this is a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath could be the subject of some discussion (if anyone is interested to go into). The sheath was made for the blade, given the very good fit and proportions, so the probability of it being a composite/put-together is small.

The blade is a simple sepokal form, but simply executed it is not. The overall look of the blade is harmonious and graceful.

The width of the blade reduces gradually from the base to the tip, but in a way that still gives it a "pregnant" look, and therefore a "substantial" and sturdy look.

The tip could have been re-shaped (probably due to the tip chipping off), but at any rate, the domed-shape tip is beautifully done, and complements the flowing lines in the rest of the blade, especially at the base.

The arc in the blade can be described as sweet and sublime. Look at some of the other sepokals around and you'd probably get what I'm saying. I especially like side of the blade that has the aring, because that's where the curve feeds into the aring, which has a nice curl-up at the end. The ganja flares out nicely from gandik to the aring side.

The pamor is non-contrasting, but has quite a few layers in it, and is well controlled within the centre of the blade. There is a "ujung gunung" at the base, as is common in most Bugis keris blades, however, the rest of the pamor can best be described as "adeg", which would make it a slighltly unusual combination (most common are ujung gunung + kulit semangka).

Handling-wise, the keris has a nice weight to it, not too heavy, but enough to give a good momentum to a thrust, and light enough for quick movements.

The kemuning used to make the sampir is a beautifully selected piece. The dark band tracing the curving top line of the sampir has been seen in a few examples, and invariably all sheaths of good or top-end kerises. The grain of the wood is tight, and has nice "kerinting" (or waviness). The sampir is also well-formed, with the right curves, not just from the front, but from the side as well.

A simple but "sedap" keris, not just visually, but when held in the hand. This last bit is important for a Bugis keris because a Bugis (I'd say Malay as well) keris is nothing without that practical aspect.

I hope you enjoy this keris as much as I do!

I'm practically always carrying it around my apartment when I'm at home.

drdavid · 19th October 2008, 07:05 AM

Hi BluErf
this is a most elegant keris. The overall impression is one of quality. As you say the sampir is beautifully thought out and executed. What are the dimensions of the blade? I for one would be very interested to learn what indicates this is a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath
regards
Drdavid

sipakatuo · 19th October 2008, 03:41 PM

Very well executed blade. Thanks for sharing.

Marcokeris · 19th October 2008, 04:29 PM

A perfect simple harmony. One of the best of this kind i never seen

Rick · 19th October 2008, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drdavid

Hi BluErf
this is a most elegant keris. The overall impression is one of quality. As you say the sampir is beautifully thought out and executed. What are the dimensions of the blade? I for one would be very interested to learn what indicates this is a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath
regards
Drdavid

This would be a good time to discuss and identify the various regional scabbard styles .

Kai Wee , thanks for presenting such a simple and beautiful keris .

VVV · 19th October 2008, 07:26 PM

Nice clean fighting keris lines...
What's the size of it?

Michael

A. G. Maisey · 19th October 2008, 11:30 PM

Gee whiz that blade looks familiar.

Rick, I think this thread might be useful for reference:-

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...+keris+comment

Rick · 20th October 2008, 04:22 PM

Thanks Alan , I guess I missed that one .
I must have been busy waxing the forum floors or emptying the wastebaskets ...

BluErf · 20th October 2008, 05:51 PM

I give my thanks to Alan.

The blade is just shy of 13.5 inches. The width at the base of the blade where it meets the ganja is about 2.1 inches. Entire keris in sheath is about 17.7 inches long.

As to the Kelantan/Terengganu attribution, I must say that the sheath is very similar to some Sumatran examples. I attach pictures of 2 of the closest types for comparison.

Kelantan/Terengganu versions of this sheath form tend to be proportionally flatter than their Sumatran cousins. They also tend to be "boxier" in form, especially on the left-hand side (the lower left corner is more pronounced, less rounded). The 2 tips of the sampir (daunan) also tend to curve inwards to a lesser extent. You may have noticed that the first Sumatran keris seemed to be boxier, but you'd also notice that it is a lot broader - too broad for N Peninsula. This type is closer to the 'chieftain' style sheaths we commonly see from Sumatra.

Another identifying mark is the nature of the kemuning. N. Peninsula kemuning are more 'figured', with more patches of dark colouration on top of the regular golden brown colour. In contrast, Sumatran kemuning are a lot more homogenous, and tend to have wider bands of chatoyance. The first Sumatran keris below seemed to have such dark patching, but that is just an illusion - the sampir has a big crack across the front, and it has absorbed some oil through the crack, resulting in differential colour tones. Another clue is the tighter grains and more obvious white lines in the kumuning for N Peninsula kemuning. I reckon these differences in kemuning is attributable to differences in growing environment. Perhaps those kemuning in N Peninsula are subject to harsher growing conditions, hence, tighter grains (due to slower growth).

Beyond these features, which are readily described, there is also the 'feel' of the work. As I had mentioned before, the "air tangan" (literally "hand water") imparts a subtle sense of aesthetics that differentiates the work of tukang from the 2 regions. This one area can't be taught through words alone. One have to look at and handle numerous examples. And where you do that, you have to be sure that the kerises you're looking at are almost always from that region (e.g. going to Kelantan and Terengganu to look at Kelantanese/Terengganu kerises). Or else, you risk getting the wrong aesthetics ingrained into yourself.

Hope this helps. When I have time, I'd search for pictures of other Terengganu sheaths of this form for comparison.

19th October 2008, 05:54 AM	#1
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Appreciation of a Bugis kind Haven't started any threads for a long time, so thought I'd do so and share pictures of a keris I acquired recently. Some of you would probably recognize it, even though I've changed the hilt and pendoko to something more appropriate. Ok, this is straits Bugis keris blade, dressed in what I believe to be a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath. So accordingly, I've replaced the hilt it came with (which was probably a copy made by a Javanese/Madurese carver) with an old hilt of Terengganu/Kelantan origin. As to why this is a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath could be the subject of some discussion (if anyone is interested to go into). The sheath was made for the blade, given the very good fit and proportions, so the probability of it being a composite/put-together is small. The blade is a simple sepokal form, but simply executed it is not. The overall look of the blade is harmonious and graceful. The width of the blade reduces gradually from the base to the tip, but in a way that still gives it a "pregnant" look, and therefore a "substantial" and sturdy look. The tip could have been re-shaped (probably due to the tip chipping off), but at any rate, the domed-shape tip is beautifully done, and complements the flowing lines in the rest of the blade, especially at the base. The arc in the blade can be described as sweet and sublime. Look at some of the other sepokals around and you'd probably get what I'm saying. I especially like side of the blade that has the aring, because that's where the curve feeds into the aring, which has a nice curl-up at the end. The ganja flares out nicely from gandik to the aring side. The pamor is non-contrasting, but has quite a few layers in it, and is well controlled within the centre of the blade. There is a "ujung gunung" at the base, as is common in most Bugis keris blades, however, the rest of the pamor can best be described as "adeg", which would make it a slighltly unusual combination (most common are ujung gunung + kulit semangka). Handling-wise, the keris has a nice weight to it, not too heavy, but enough to give a good momentum to a thrust, and light enough for quick movements. The kemuning used to make the sampir is a beautifully selected piece. The dark band tracing the curving top line of the sampir has been seen in a few examples, and invariably all sheaths of good or top-end kerises. The grain of the wood is tight, and has nice "kerinting" (or waviness). The sampir is also well-formed, with the right curves, not just from the front, but from the side as well. A simple but "sedap" keris, not just visually, but when held in the hand. This last bit is important for a Bugis keris because a Bugis (I'd say Malay as well) keris is nothing without that practical aspect. I hope you enjoy this keris as much as I do! I'm practically always carrying it around my apartment when I'm at home. Attached Images

20th October 2008, 05:51 PM	#9
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	I give my thanks to Alan. The blade is just shy of 13.5 inches. The width at the base of the blade where it meets the ganja is about 2.1 inches. Entire keris in sheath is about 17.7 inches long. As to the Kelantan/Terengganu attribution, I must say that the sheath is very similar to some Sumatran examples. I attach pictures of 2 of the closest types for comparison. Kelantan/Terengganu versions of this sheath form tend to be proportionally flatter than their Sumatran cousins. They also tend to be "boxier" in form, especially on the left-hand side (the lower left corner is more pronounced, less rounded). The 2 tips of the sampir (daunan) also tend to curve inwards to a lesser extent. You may have noticed that the first Sumatran keris seemed to be boxier, but you'd also notice that it is a lot broader - too broad for N Peninsula. This type is closer to the 'chieftain' style sheaths we commonly see from Sumatra. Another identifying mark is the nature of the kemuning. N. Peninsula kemuning are more 'figured', with more patches of dark colouration on top of the regular golden brown colour. In contrast, Sumatran kemuning are a lot more homogenous, and tend to have wider bands of chatoyance. The first Sumatran keris below seemed to have such dark patching, but that is just an illusion - the sampir has a big crack across the front, and it has absorbed some oil through the crack, resulting in differential colour tones. Another clue is the tighter grains and more obvious white lines in the kumuning for N Peninsula kemuning. I reckon these differences in kemuning is attributable to differences in growing environment. Perhaps those kemuning in N Peninsula are subject to harsher growing conditions, hence, tighter grains (due to slower growth). Beyond these features, which are readily described, there is also the 'feel' of the work. As I had mentioned before, the "air tangan" (literally "hand water") imparts a subtle sense of aesthetics that differentiates the work of tukang from the 2 regions. This one area can't be taught through words alone. One have to look at and handle numerous examples. And where you do that, you have to be sure that the kerises you're looking at are almost always from that region (e.g. going to Kelantan and Terengganu to look at Kelantanese/Terengganu kerises). Or else, you risk getting the wrong aesthetics ingrained into yourself. Hope this helps. When I have time, I'd search for pictures of other Terengganu sheaths of this form for comparison. Attached Images

19th October 2008, 07:05 AM	#2
drdavid Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 371	Hi BluErf this is a most elegant keris. The overall impression is one of quality. As you say the sampir is beautifully thought out and executed. What are the dimensions of the blade? I for one would be very interested to learn what indicates this is a Terengganu/Kelantan sheath regards Drdavid

19th October 2008, 03:41 PM	#3
sipakatuo Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 59	Very well executed blade. Thanks for sharing.

19th October 2008, 04:29 PM	#4
Marcokeris Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Italy Posts: 928	A perfect simple harmony. One of the best of this kind i never seen

19th October 2008, 07:26 PM	#6
VVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sweden Posts: 1,637	Nice clean fighting keris lines... What's the size of it? Michael

19th October 2008, 11:30 PM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,898	Gee whiz that blade looks familiar. Rick, I think this thread might be useful for reference:- http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...+keris+comment

20th October 2008, 04:22 PM	#8
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,294	Thanks Alan , I guess I missed that one . I must have been busy waxing the forum floors or emptying the wastebaskets ...