Sunggingans

A. G. Maisey · 26th April 2015, 11:28 PM

Things have been a bit too quiet for a bit too long.

I've been trying to think of some sort of relevant question or topic that might stir up a few comments, but I haven't been able to come up with anything that I consider to be worthwhile.

So I'm indulging in a little bit of "show & tell".

Not much tell, but a bit of show.

Herewith a Surakarta keris in painted, or "sunggingan" dress.

Maybe somebody else feels inclined to add a sunggingan picture or two?

David · 27th April 2015, 01:36 AM

Thanks Alan. I've been thinking much the same. The crickets have been deafening around these parts. Would love to see some discussions get going here.
Nice example. Would this be a more recent effort? Do these painted sheaths serve a specific cultural purpose, meaning were they intended for any specific societal rank or class?
Here is my one and only example from Bali, which i assume is an older one. Would this be called sunggingan in Bali as well or is there a local term for it?

A. G. Maisey · 27th April 2015, 01:54 AM

The one I've shown came from an old collection that was put together in Jawa a little after WWII, so it probably comes from at least the 1930's.

I think we can probably date your Bali one to pre-WWII also.

As far as I am aware sunggingan dress in Bali lapsed between the beginning of WWII and maybe as recently as the late 1990's.

I have not heard anything regarding how and when sunggingan dress used to be worn, but these days it seems to be OK to wear for anything except where keris dress is subject to specific rules. My guess is that in previous times it was probably used for public events with a festive air, such as wayang performance attendance, or maybe parties or gatherings.

Here are images of Surakarta Keraton soldiers --- purely ceremonial these days --- parading in the Keraton courtyard, and a couple of them had sunggingan dress on their keris.

A. G. Maisey · 27th April 2015, 02:04 AM

I do not speak nor understand Balinese and I do not know an equivalent term in Balinese to "sunggingan".

drdavid · 27th April 2015, 10:16 PM

Alan, do we know how long sunggingan dress has been around. Is it a relatively modern thing (say the last 100 years) or does it go back further
cheers
David

A. G. Maisey · 27th April 2015, 10:53 PM

Sunggingan scabbards, and perhaps sunggingan hilts have been in use for a very long time, perhaps even from the very beginning.

There are examples of keris with sunggingan dress that pre-date 1700 in both the Dresden and Copenhagen collections. These are North Coast Jawa keris, and the nature of the ornamentation seems to owe much to a Chinese ancestry, however, when we consider that Javanese temples dating from the Early Classical Period were brightly painted, and that the keris seems to have had a religious association from the time of the appearance of its earliest forms, then we factor in the Javanese inclination for display, it is highly probable that even the earliest forms of keris had painted scabbards.

The word "sunggingan" simply means "painted decoration", but the use of this word, rather than the use of other words referring to paint or decoration, implies a form of decoration that is intricate and skilful.

I have not looked at Jensen's "Kris Disc" for a very long time, but I am sure that if we were to trawl through this we would find examples of early sunggingan dress.

semar · 28th April 2015, 03:07 AM

one other sunggingan

regards semar

rasdan · 29th April 2015, 04:48 AM

G'day Alan,

Thank you for sharing. I am just wondering, are there any rules on what can be painted as sunggingan? Say scenes from wayang only etc..

On some older keris, I noticed that the sunggingan (if we can call it sunggingan) the scene painted are quite random. However I am not sure if the "sunggingan" are Javanese in the first place. Below is an example of a keris that have such painting.

A. G. Maisey · 29th April 2015, 08:26 AM

Isn't that a beautiful keris?

A real classic.

North Coast alas2an motif.

As to rules. I know of none insofar as the motif is concerned, however, in the Surakarta court there are rules that govern the pendok colour and the background colour to the motif.

The "colour code" for Surakarta is:-

wrongko base colour

white or yellow --- bupati
gold --- pangeran
sea blue --- penewu
light green --- mantri

pendok colour

red --- royal family or bupati
green --- penewu
dark grey --- lurah
black --- jajar, and in addition a black pendok is permitted for all ranks and the general public for wear at a funeral

Court clowns --- pelawak --- are permitted a kemalo pendok of any colour, but they are required to wear it with a jejeran Rojomolo.

Source for the above was Empu Suparman.

rasdan · 29th April 2015, 12:18 PM

Thank you Alan for the info. I don't know the keris that I posted have a valid traditional design. I thought it's just a scene in a bush..

A. G. Maisey · 29th April 2015, 12:25 PM

Yes, well it is a scene in the bush.

The bush is forest, forest is alas-alas, thus a forest or bush scene is an alas-alasan scene. The way in which this is expressed or interpreted can vary, but if it has the necessary elements it is nothing other than an alas-alasan motif, and the necessary elements are animals/birds in a setting of foliage.

Gustav · 29th April 2015, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rasdan

On some older keris, I noticed that the sunggingan (if we can call it sunggingan) the scene painted are quite random. However I am not sure if the "sunggingan" are Javanese in the first place. Below is an example of a keris that have such painting.

The matters with this keris and its painted sheath are a bit complicated and very interesting.

At first some facts about its provenance. The first ascertained provenance is the estate inventory of Maximilian III (von Habsburg), who was the son of Austrian Emperor Maximilian II and Maria of Spain (daughter of Isabella of Portugal and granddaughter of Manuel I of Portugal), and the Grandmaster of Teutonic Order. From 1632 on it's frequently mentioned in the inventories of Teutonic Order. It makes this keris one of the three oldest with secure provenance.

Now some interesting possibility.

There is an inventory of Guarda Roupa (wardrobe, an analogue to Kunstkammer) of the King Manuel I of Portugal from 1522. There is mentioned a keris with rock chrystal hilt and scabbard adorned with rubies, and two other keris, whose hilts were carved in the form of women (Heritage of Rauluchantim, catalogue of an exhibition held in Museu de Sao Roque in Lisboa, 1996). Another mentioning of this inventory in Exotica, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, 2000, says, these two other keris have wooden scabbards, and the hilts are made from horn, adorned with rubies.

Besides this perhaps beeing the earliest mentioning of a Wadon (or Balu Mekabun) hilt form, there is some possibility the inventory from 1522 lists the keris in question - it has a Wadon hilt, made from Rhinoceros horn, adorned with rubies, and a wooden scabbard.

Now to the painting on the scabbard of this keris.

It is done in lacquer painting, gold on green background. There is no other early Sunggingan (the two most complete ones beeing the Sendai and the (other) Wienna keris), where painting would be done in this technique. Also the style of painting on all other early Sunggingan is completely different.

The style of the painting on this scabbard is Indo/Portuguese and characteristic for a group of furniture, made or painted in workshops in Cochin for portuguese market. There is a tabletop in Kunstkammer of Kunsthistorisches Museum in Wienna, Inv Nr. 4958, which belonged to Viceroy of Portugal, Albrecht of Austria, first mentioned in an inventory from 1596. The technique, lacquer painting, and the colours are the same, the style of painting almost completely identical to the scabbard in question. It can be judged quite well, becouse the scenery is the same, animals/birds in a setting of foliage.

Regarding the adornments of the hilt, they are very close/identical to the adornments found on Ceylonese ivory objects, made for portuguese market.

rasdan · 29th April 2015, 06:52 PM

Thank you for your input Alan and Gustav,

Except for Kris Disk, I have no information on old keris collection in Europe that have been recorded. It is quite mind boggling to imagine that this keris had been in Europe since 1522.

So perhaps this sunggingan was done in Europe? That explains the rabbits in the painting. I earlier thought that the rabbits is a copy from European paintings that have rabbit pictures on it or rabbits had already made their way into Jawa at that time.

This reminds of the keris from kris disk that have different than the traditional theme. It is mentioned in Kris disk that the sunggingan was probably made in Europe copying Chinese motifs which also use gold paint. The collection date for this keris is 1718ad.

A. G. Maisey · 29th April 2015, 07:19 PM

That's very nice information Gustav, and it demonstrates the extent to which other cultures and societies have contributed to Javanese/Indonesian culture/society.

We now tend to think of much of this contribution as being original to the place where we find it, even the people who are native to the area think so, but when evidence such as you have presented surfaces we need to rethink the entire thing.

Thank you.

26th April 2015, 11:28 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Sunggingans Things have been a bit too quiet for a bit too long. I've been trying to think of some sort of relevant question or topic that might stir up a few comments, but I haven't been able to come up with anything that I consider to be worthwhile. So I'm indulging in a little bit of "show & tell". Not much tell, but a bit of show. Herewith a Surakarta keris in painted, or "sunggingan" dress. Maybe somebody else feels inclined to add a sunggingan picture or two? Attached Images

27th April 2015, 01:36 AM	#2
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,113	Thanks Alan. I've been thinking much the same. The crickets have been deafening around these parts. Would love to see some discussions get going here. Nice example. Would this be a more recent effort? Do these painted sheaths serve a specific cultural purpose, meaning were they intended for any specific societal rank or class? Here is my one and only example from Bali, which i assume is an older one. Would this be called sunggingan in Bali as well or is there a local term for it? Attached Images

27th April 2015, 01:54 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	The one I've shown came from an old collection that was put together in Jawa a little after WWII, so it probably comes from at least the 1930's. I think we can probably date your Bali one to pre-WWII also. As far as I am aware sunggingan dress in Bali lapsed between the beginning of WWII and maybe as recently as the late 1990's. I have not heard anything regarding how and when sunggingan dress used to be worn, but these days it seems to be OK to wear for anything except where keris dress is subject to specific rules. My guess is that in previous times it was probably used for public events with a festive air, such as wayang performance attendance, or maybe parties or gatherings. Here are images of Surakarta Keraton soldiers --- purely ceremonial these days --- parading in the Keraton courtyard, and a couple of them had sunggingan dress on their keris. Attached Images

28th April 2015, 03:07 AM	#7
semar Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Posts: 272	sunggingan one other sunggingan regards semar Attached Images

29th April 2015, 04:48 AM	#8
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 368	G'day Alan, Thank you for sharing. I am just wondering, are there any rules on what can be painted as sunggingan? Say scenes from wayang only etc.. On some older keris, I noticed that the sunggingan (if we can call it sunggingan) the scene painted are quite random. However I am not sure if the "sunggingan" are Javanese in the first place. Below is an example of a keris that have such painting. Attached Images

27th April 2015, 02:04 AM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	I do not speak nor understand Balinese and I do not know an equivalent term in Balinese to "sunggingan".

27th April 2015, 10:16 PM	#5
drdavid Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Australia Posts: 371	Alan, do we know how long sunggingan dress has been around. Is it a relatively modern thing (say the last 100 years) or does it go back further cheers David

27th April 2015, 10:53 PM	#6
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Sunggingan scabbards, and perhaps sunggingan hilts have been in use for a very long time, perhaps even from the very beginning. There are examples of keris with sunggingan dress that pre-date 1700 in both the Dresden and Copenhagen collections. These are North Coast Jawa keris, and the nature of the ornamentation seems to owe much to a Chinese ancestry, however, when we consider that Javanese temples dating from the Early Classical Period were brightly painted, and that the keris seems to have had a religious association from the time of the appearance of its earliest forms, then we factor in the Javanese inclination for display, it is highly probable that even the earliest forms of keris had painted scabbards. The word "sunggingan" simply means "painted decoration", but the use of this word, rather than the use of other words referring to paint or decoration, implies a form of decoration that is intricate and skilful. I have not looked at Jensen's "Kris Disc" for a very long time, but I am sure that if we were to trawl through this we would find examples of early sunggingan dress.

29th April 2015, 08:26 AM	#9
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Isn't that a beautiful keris? A real classic. North Coast alas2an motif. As to rules. I know of none insofar as the motif is concerned, however, in the Surakarta court there are rules that govern the pendok colour and the background colour to the motif. The "colour code" for Surakarta is:- wrongko base colour white or yellow --- bupati gold --- pangeran sea blue --- penewu light green --- mantri pendok colour red --- royal family or bupati green --- penewu dark grey --- lurah black --- jajar, and in addition a black pendok is permitted for all ranks and the general public for wear at a funeral Court clowns --- pelawak --- are permitted a kemalo pendok of any colour, but they are required to wear it with a jejeran Rojomolo. Source for the above was Empu Suparman. Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 29th April 2015 at 08:36 AM. Reason: additional information

29th April 2015, 12:18 PM	#10
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 368	Thank you Alan for the info. I don't know the keris that I posted have a valid traditional design. I thought it's just a scene in a bush..

29th April 2015, 12:25 PM	#11
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	Yes, well it is a scene in the bush. The bush is forest, forest is alas-alas, thus a forest or bush scene is an alas-alasan scene. The way in which this is expressed or interpreted can vary, but if it has the necessary elements it is nothing other than an alas-alasan motif, and the necessary elements are animals/birds in a setting of foliage.

29th April 2015, 06:52 PM	#13
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 368	Thank you for your input Alan and Gustav, Except for Kris Disk, I have no information on old keris collection in Europe that have been recorded. It is quite mind boggling to imagine that this keris had been in Europe since 1522. So perhaps this sunggingan was done in Europe? That explains the rabbits in the painting. I earlier thought that the rabbits is a copy from European paintings that have rabbit pictures on it or rabbits had already made their way into Jawa at that time. This reminds of the keris from kris disk that have different than the traditional theme. It is mentioned in Kris disk that the sunggingan was probably made in Europe copying Chinese motifs which also use gold paint. The collection date for this keris is 1718ad. Attached Images

29th April 2015, 07:19 PM	#14
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,877	That's very nice information Gustav, and it demonstrates the extent to which other cultures and societies have contributed to Javanese/Indonesian culture/society. We now tend to think of much of this contribution as being original to the place where we find it, even the people who are native to the area think so, but when evidence such as you have presented surfaces we need to rethink the entire thing. Thank you.