Keris Pedang Lombok

BluErf · 16th January 2005, 02:56 AM

Have a slightly unusual keris pedang from Lombok to share. When I 1st saw this piece, it reminded of the fantastic keris pedang shown in "The Invincible Keris", but of course this piece of mine is no where near that keris pedang in terms of garap.

The repoussed silver and brass sheets are relatively recent works, but its refreshing to see Balinese/Lombok kerises with some metal works (and quite ok ones too). In the past 5 years, what we usually see are plain wooden sheaths with their original gold and silver works gone. The stones on the mendak and the brass ornament are, as you can see, low grades one, as usually seen on common men's kerises. High grade gemstones are only found on kerises of the highest rank. It is to my knowledge that traditionally, black(quartz?), white (diamond, intarn) and red (ruby) stones are used. Blue (sapphires) and green (emeralds) stones are indications of (later half?) 20th century work.

Older sheath in traditional pelet wood. People tell me that lombok gayaman sheaths are of the "axe" shape, with the right side of the wrangka ending in a straight line. This example of mine has a rounded end to the right side (what we call the "bean" shape), apparently more common in Bali. But these 2 islands are so close and have such similar keris styles that I am not really sure if there is this necessary distinction. Anyway, we all know kerises travel from one place to another.

Now the interesting part -- the blade. The blade is the oldest part of this entire ensemble. I hazard its about 19th century. Its swift and light but tough and sturdy, like all other older pieces which were made with both beauty and functionality in mind. Its tempered two-thirds of the way down. Corrosion on the blade is the reassuring 'random' pattern (which gives me the assurance that this is an old blade). Pamor is of the kulit semangka type. Very sparse pamor as is the common case with Bali/Lombok pieces. And the pamor is only evident on one side. The other side is black as night.

The incision at the base of the blade, between the ganja is said to be representing the third eye of Shiva, much like the carvings on the wrangka. This is not confirmed. It could just be ornamental in function, but it is well done and sets it apart from all the other keris pedang I've seen. It is also the reason why I bought this piece.

16th January 2005, 02:56 AM	#1
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Keris Pedang Lombok Have a slightly unusual keris pedang from Lombok to share. When I 1st saw this piece, it reminded of the fantastic keris pedang shown in "The Invincible Keris", but of course this piece of mine is no where near that keris pedang in terms of garap. The repoussed silver and brass sheets are relatively recent works, but its refreshing to see Balinese/Lombok kerises with some metal works (and quite ok ones too). In the past 5 years, what we usually see are plain wooden sheaths with their original gold and silver works gone. The stones on the mendak and the brass ornament are, as you can see, low grades one, as usually seen on common men's kerises. High grade gemstones are only found on kerises of the highest rank. It is to my knowledge that traditionally, black(quartz?), white (diamond, intarn) and red (ruby) stones are used. Blue (sapphires) and green (emeralds) stones are indications of (later half?) 20th century work. Older sheath in traditional pelet wood. People tell me that lombok gayaman sheaths are of the "axe" shape, with the right side of the wrangka ending in a straight line. This example of mine has a rounded end to the right side (what we call the "bean" shape), apparently more common in Bali. But these 2 islands are so close and have such similar keris styles that I am not really sure if there is this necessary distinction. Anyway, we all know kerises travel from one place to another. Now the interesting part -- the blade. The blade is the oldest part of this entire ensemble. I hazard its about 19th century. Its swift and light but tough and sturdy, like all other older pieces which were made with both beauty and functionality in mind. Its tempered two-thirds of the way down. Corrosion on the blade is the reassuring 'random' pattern (which gives me the assurance that this is an old blade). Pamor is of the kulit semangka type. Very sparse pamor as is the common case with Bali/Lombok pieces. And the pamor is only evident on one side. The other side is black as night. The incision at the base of the blade, between the ganja is said to be representing the third eye of Shiva, much like the carvings on the wrangka. This is not confirmed. It could just be ornamental in function, but it is well done and sets it apart from all the other keris pedang I've seen. It is also the reason why I bought this piece. Attached Images