Keris Kamardikan

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Anthony, I do not know how you envisage the tail, but if it requires more metal, that metal can be added with a little bit of electric weld, and the weld line can be covered with the gold. If this is what the maker intends to do, it will decrease the integrity of the work.

If this keris belonged to me, I would accept the maker's interpretation of the tail, even though it does not agree with your own ideas of what it should be.

When we engage an artist to produce a work of art, we might give him an idea of what we want, but we must accept his judgement and interpretation of the subject. A client does not have the right to dictate artistic endeavour to an artist.

In the past I did a lot of custom knife work, I would accept an order and then I would produce the finished product in line with the way I interpreted the client's wishes, once the job was done, it would be the best I could do, but if the client did not like the work and he asked me to alter it in accordance with his own ideas of what he thought was right, I would return any payment he had made and most politely tell him to go take a running jump. In my book, clients accept the work of the artist, they do not tell the artist how to do the job.

Once we start to fiddle with detail in a finished work we run the very real risk that the quality of the existing work will be impaired.

Get them to do better quality kinatah, certainly, but I most sincerely advise against any alterations to the carving that has already been done --- your disappointment could very easily increase rather than decrease.

Hi Alan, I am also concern how the maker going to do adjustment on the leg/tail since the work is completed ( craving).I will do likewise as what you have advice and ask him not to do any adjustment work. Thank you for your sound advice as always.