Two new (to me) Keris from Epray for comment

David · 14th January 2016, 07:48 PM

Hi Leif. Sorry to see no one has commented yet. Truth be told these aren't particularly anything to write home about and you have probably already said all that needs to be said about them. You are correct that the first one (on left) is what has come to be known as a "soldier's keris" from Madura. Keris in this style dress are often thought of as early souvenir items for returning dutch soldiers. They rarely carry anything beyond a mediocre blade. This one is a pretty low end carving though. I have seen much nicer examples and have always thought i would like to add one of the nicer examples of this style to my collection one day. I am not convinced that the figurative hilt is supposed to be a female figure. What do you base that on?
Your second keris is perhaps a bit better. You are again correct, this dress is Surakarta. The best thing about this dress is that the top sheath and stem are carved all in one piece (iras) which is unusual. It looks to me like the wood needs a bit of TLC. The blade has some deep cut features, but that look kind of sloppy and stiff to me. I would also perhaps put this one in the 20th century as the seller suggested. Not a terrible keris, but nothing extraordinary.

14th January 2016, 07:48 PM	#5
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	Hi Leif. Sorry to see no one has commented yet. Truth be told these aren't particularly anything to write home about and you have probably already said all that needs to be said about them. You are correct that the first one (on left) is what has come to be known as a "soldier's keris" from Madura. Keris in this style dress are often thought of as early souvenir items for returning dutch soldiers. They rarely carry anything beyond a mediocre blade. This one is a pretty low end carving though. I have seen much nicer examples and have always thought i would like to add one of the nicer examples of this style to my collection one day. I am not convinced that the figurative hilt is supposed to be a female figure. What do you base that on? Your second keris is perhaps a bit better. You are again correct, this dress is Surakarta. The best thing about this dress is that the top sheath and stem are carved all in one piece (iras) which is unusual. It looks to me like the wood needs a bit of TLC. The blade has some deep cut features, but that look kind of sloppy and stiff to me. I would also perhaps put this one in the 20th century as the seller suggested. Not a terrible keris, but nothing extraordinary.