If one would be made for you how would it be?

Jussi M. · 10th December 2008, 11:06 PM

Greetings,

lets just assume that you were to have only one keris for the rest of your life and that youd have an opportunity to have one made for you by a true master.

Within the boundaries of good taste and finances that you could actually handle how would your "perfect" keris be like?

Just your personal view based on what ever you feel is important to you.

Thanks,

J

ferrylaki · 12th December 2008, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jussi M.

Greetings,

lets just assume that you were to have only one keris for the rest of your life and that youd have an opportunity to have one made for you by a true master.

Within the boundaries of good taste and finances that you could actually handle how would your "perfect" keris be like?

Just your personal view based on what ever you feel is important to you.

Thanks,

J

Well, its very difficult to describe what I really want.
there should be a picture or a hand drawing to mention what I really want my keris would be.
I've made some specified ricikan for my "imaginary" keris would be:
1. straight keris
2. pamor = wengkon ( just near the edge )
3. kembang kacang
4. jalu melet
5. lambe gajah
6. greneng
7. sogokan

as the style, I prefer the Surakarta PBX style.(Surakarta is my hometown)
its rather big, strong, firm and thin.
I'm still looking for the right picture.
is there somebody out there having an example of the keris I describe above?
Anybody?

Well how about you?

FERRYLAKI

A. G. Maisey · 13th December 2008, 01:01 PM

I'm really surprised that this thread has not been flooded with posts. To my way of thinking, this is one of the most interesting topics that has been opened in some time.

My approach to this would be a bit different to Ferry's.

I would want a keris that was the best piece of keris art that I could obtain.

Like Ferry, I would want a straight keris, because I believe that traditional keris artistic concepts are better expressed in a straight keris than in a waved keris.

I would not want nagas or singa barongs or any other carving, and I would not want kinatah work.

Most importantly, I would want the best work available, so to begin with, I would try to decide who was the best current maker.

I would also want sole authorship, which means that I would want the bakalan and calon forged by the same man who did the bench work.

With all those parameters in place, my choice of maker would be pretty limited.

I would then talk to that maker, explain what I wanted and ask him what pamor he considered was his best, and what dhapur he was most comfortable working with.

I would ask him to name his price, which I would then double---on the understanding that if what he produced was in any way less than perfect, I had the right to reject it, and he would do the job again---and again----and again, until I was satisfied with the result.

I would want the surface aged very lightly, just sufficient to enhance the pamor, and I would probably do the warangan myself.

I have not mentioned any of the details that I would request that the maker used in his approach, and I have not mentioned dress.

Does anybody else have any ideas on what might go to make his dream keris?

BluErf · 13th December 2008, 03:12 PM

But there is always a gap between what I imagine and what the keris maker can do... And then there is the issue of how 'inspired' the maker can be. He could execute a keris (cld be an established type) in such a way that no one before him could have thought of doing it in that way. It could be a very subtle and nuanced difference, but in the realm of great kerises, that subtleness makes the whole world of difference.

So without being able to completely share my imagined keris with the maker, and without knowing what he could be creatively capable of, I don't know how to commission my dream keris effectively...

Although there are more beautiful kerises out there, I kind of already have my 'dream keris' with me. It's the one that I would not hesitate to choose to save in a "there's-a-fire-and-you-can-only-save-one-keris" scenario.

Sometimes, the bird of paradise is already in our own backyard.

Jussi M. · 13th December 2008, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferrylaki

Well how about you?

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Does anybody else have any ideas on what might go to make his dream keris?

My dream keris would be straight, relatively wide and robust. Something like Surakarta high on steroids so to speak

I would prefer the sculpting to be very three dimensional with highly organic, dare I even say out of this world flow on how the lines come together as a whole greater than the material, design and earthly work that made it. I would prefer it to have a rather simple but complex on closer look pamor. Sinister and stealthy for a lack of better words. Warangan should be without pendok and I´d like it to follow the clean, organic and sinister feel of the blade. No frills, no decoration, just pure, unrestricted lines that flow onto a cohesive whole. A sort of Old School Jawanese with a flair of Alien air.

Cold
Simple
Sinister
Organic

Something like that.

I would probably use adjectives like the above to describe the feel of what I personally like and let The Maker - granted he knows what he does - draw his own conclusion on what the outcome should be like. This would undoubtedly mean a sufficient amount of dialogue and interaction. This would undoubtedly proceed to a material possession with more and deeper meaning than solely what meets the eye. Not just a keris. But truly "my" keris.

Thanks,

J

gwirya · 13th December 2008, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I would also want sole authorship, which means that I would want the bakalan and calon forged by the same man who did the bench work.

With all those parameters in place, my choice of maker would be pretty limited.

Dear Alan, a little bit of topic, could you name some of the empu/pandai/artis that fits into this particular parameter? I am thinking of having one personal keris.
thx

Marcokeris · 13th December 2008, 09:04 PM

My dream keris is a blade that, every times i see this blade, the keris can tell to my soul something news and different from the latest time. My dream keris would be like a open Door toward another site....a place where i can feel the the breathing of the artist that made the blade .

Kiai Carita · 14th December 2008, 03:25 AM

I would want a Carita with 11 luks.

It would be kelengan without pamor made in the Majapahit style. I would want it to be slender and gracefull and light but very sharp and very strong. The sharpness and the strength of the blade would be very important to me, and I would want to test it.

I would want a sturdy pesi and defined ricikan, and it woud be dressed in a bold timoho pattern or aromatic sandalwood with the whole scabbard one peice of wood, in a Yogya gayaman style.

The pendok would be suasa with a discreet Suryoningalogo coat of arms on the back.

After that, I would want two more kerises. One would be made by Pak Alan and the other would be made by Lemmy the UK Mpu who also posts here. I would treasure the work of these two current Mpus.

If Pak Alan could obtain it, I would want him to make the keris from scratch using iron and steel from the First Fleet that landed in Botany Bay and make it a tangguh Ngostrali. Any dhapur or pamor would do but I prefer simple rather than fancy.

For the keris made by Lemmythesmith, I would be very happy to keep the patrem he showed us a while back. If not then any other keris he feels happy to make using meteorite would be splendid.

10th December 2008, 11:06 PM	#1
Jussi M. Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 235	If one would be made for you how would it be? Greetings, lets just assume that you were to have only one keris for the rest of your life and that youd have an opportunity to have one made for you by a true master. Within the boundaries of good taste and finances that you could actually handle how would your "perfect" keris be like? Just your personal view based on what ever you feel is important to you. Thanks, J Last edited by Jussi M.; 10th December 2008 at 11:34 PM.

13th December 2008, 03:12 PM	#4
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	But there is always a gap between what I imagine and what the keris maker can do... And then there is the issue of how 'inspired' the maker can be. He could execute a keris (cld be an established type) in such a way that no one before him could have thought of doing it in that way. It could be a very subtle and nuanced difference, but in the realm of great kerises, that subtleness makes the whole world of difference. So without being able to completely share my imagined keris with the maker, and without knowing what he could be creatively capable of, I don't know how to commission my dream keris effectively... Although there are more beautiful kerises out there, I kind of already have my 'dream keris' with me. It's the one that I would not hesitate to choose to save in a "there's-a-fire-and-you-can-only-save-one-keris" scenario. Sometimes, the bird of paradise is already in our own backyard. Attached Images

14th December 2008, 03:25 AM	#8
Kiai Carita Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 91	My dream keris I would want a Carita with 11 luks. It would be kelengan without pamor made in the Majapahit style. I would want it to be slender and gracefull and light but very sharp and very strong. The sharpness and the strength of the blade would be very important to me, and I would want to test it. I would want a sturdy pesi and defined ricikan, and it woud be dressed in a bold timoho pattern or aromatic sandalwood with the whole scabbard one peice of wood, in a Yogya gayaman style. The pendok would be suasa with a discreet Suryoningalogo coat of arms on the back. After that, I would want two more kerises. One would be made by Pak Alan and the other would be made by Lemmy the UK Mpu who also posts here. I would treasure the work of these two current Mpus. If Pak Alan could obtain it, I would want him to make the keris from scratch using iron and steel from the First Fleet that landed in Botany Bay and make it a tangguh Ngostrali. Any dhapur or pamor would do but I prefer simple rather than fancy. For the keris made by Lemmythesmith, I would be very happy to keep the patrem he showed us a while back. If not then any other keris he feels happy to make using meteorite would be splendid.

13th December 2008, 01:01 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,898	I'm really surprised that this thread has not been flooded with posts. To my way of thinking, this is one of the most interesting topics that has been opened in some time. My approach to this would be a bit different to Ferry's. I would want a keris that was the best piece of keris art that I could obtain. Like Ferry, I would want a straight keris, because I believe that traditional keris artistic concepts are better expressed in a straight keris than in a waved keris. I would not want nagas or singa barongs or any other carving, and I would not want kinatah work. Most importantly, I would want the best work available, so to begin with, I would try to decide who was the best current maker. I would also want sole authorship, which means that I would want the bakalan and calon forged by the same man who did the bench work. With all those parameters in place, my choice of maker would be pretty limited. I would then talk to that maker, explain what I wanted and ask him what pamor he considered was his best, and what dhapur he was most comfortable working with. I would ask him to name his price, which I would then double---on the understanding that if what he produced was in any way less than perfect, I had the right to reject it, and he would do the job again---and again----and again, until I was satisfied with the result. I would want the surface aged very lightly, just sufficient to enhance the pamor, and I would probably do the warangan myself. I have not mentioned any of the details that I would request that the maker used in his approach, and I have not mentioned dress. Does anybody else have any ideas on what might go to make his dream keris?

13th December 2008, 09:04 PM	#7
Marcokeris Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Italy Posts: 928	My dream keris is a blade that, every times i see this blade, the keris can tell to my soul something news and different from the latest time. My dream keris would be like a open Door toward another site....a place where i can feel the the breathing of the artist that made the blade .