Pendongkok Keris Makassar/Gowa(?)

[rasdan]

Hi guys,

Earlier this month I came to know that a person here in Malaysia found a gold pendongkok with rubies 4 feet in the ground using a metal detector. The weight is about 60 grams with 8 large rubies each encircled with another 8 smaller rubies. 2 of the rubies are missing. Usually this type of pendongkok are identified as Makassar/Gowa type. I don't know the exact location where this was found. But I think it was found in Kota Tinggi; southern part of Malaysia on the east coast - I think the owner is from around that area.

I should really purchase a metal detector to start a new hobby. Here are the images from this owner's Facebook. His name is Raja Kamaruzaman. I posted the pictures in different thread. As requested by David, I post the pictures of this pendongkok in a new thread. As a comparison I post some pictures of keris that were said to originate from Makassar or probably Bugis.

[Battara]

He found this? I may move there.........

[Gustav]

Local variants of this kind of Mendak/Selut are found also in North-Sumatra (Gayo) with Bawar hilts, which resemble early planar Javanese hilts, which possibly also are the source for Nias planar hilts:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ighlight=bawar

[Gustav]

The one from "Javanese Gold", Hunter Thompson collection. Who knows, if it really is coming from Java. If it is, it could be a hint to the possibility, that the refined aristocratic hilt figures could have been made after a Javanese model, or some of better workmanship even are made in Java.

[Gustav]

And one from Tropenmuseum, found or acquired on Bali (which says not much about the real or possible origin) :

[David]

Gustav, thanks for posting the example from Old Javanese Gold. I was just coming here to do the same.
Just for further clarification, there is a somewhat different description of this ring in the actual book which provides additional information on its possible origins.
"This kris hilt fragment comes from the island of Ternate in eastern Indonesia, rather than Java, but it is highly similar to Javanese workmanship, the repoussé on the upper face are especially comparable to to those on Javanese anklets..."
Ternate is quite a distance away from Jawa off North Maluku.