Bali Keris for Comment.

[Rafngard]

Hello All,

Firstly, thanks to everyone who responded! I appreciate it!

Alan, you are as always a wealth of knowledge! Thank you both for clarifying on cenangan and on combong. You are an asset to this community.

Believe, especially when there are a number of believers, does have a certain power doesn't it? Whether in the very real placebo effect, or in how many fortunes are made or lost every day any stock market.

Thanks to both David and to Paul for providing more pics. Is it safe to say that this isn't a very common hilt style?

Paul, Yes! You're absolutely right! There is one with residual filling! I can't believe I missed this.

I tried to take a few close up photos of this, and a few others were there's residual filling. It looks a bit like a blackish? resin of some kind. Almost like a wax. A black filling would fit with the aesthetic of the other examples.

Anyone have any clue what it might be? I'm wondering it it's restorable.

Thanks!
Leif

[Rafngard]

I just found another example, one from Krisdisk, Page 5, Chapter 7. The full keris is on page 22

He says of it:
"A special variation of the wooden cylinder type is the Cecanginan/Danganan Tjanging hilt. Its name refers to Tjanging trunk, where the thorns have been chopped off. It may be a very old type of hilt as it seems to be mentioned in connection with Ken Arok ( first part of the 13th century)."

However, I'm given to understand that Jensen's words are to be taken with a grain of salt.

I wonder if the original aesthetic of mine was a bit like this, with the black tips.

Thanks,
Leif

[kai]

Hello Leif,

Yes, good examples of this type are not common.

Paul, Yes! You're absolutely right! There is one with residual filling! I can't believe I missed this.

I tried to take a few close up photos of this, and a few others were there's residual filling. It looks a bit like a blackish? resin of some kind. Almost like a wax. A black filling would fit with the aesthetic of the other examples.

Anyone have any clue what it might be? I'm wondering it it's restorable.

Probably cutler's resin, at least from what can be seen in the older hilt. This mix should be much harder (after cooling down) than wax to take a polish and prove robust enough. If the remnants are wax-like it might be a later attempt to cosmetically fill the holes with hard wax as usual with antique furniture.

Regards,
Kai

[A. G. Maisey]

Mr. Jensen was a very committed enthusiast and he reseached as well as could be reasonably expected from outside the relevant societies. He has my very great respect. His one shortcoming was an almost total lack of grassroots field research, and inadequacy of language skills. He was a very notable contributor to the body of keris literature. His work must be respected, but it can be questioned.

Balinese decorative art is all about effect. These indentations could have had anything inserted. Gemstones, even low grade ones I think would be unlikely, but glass, or scraps of gold foil would be quite likely.

Paul you have mentioned that you found these other names you have provided as possible alternatives to "cenangan" as "local".

May I ask you to clarify the meaning of "local" in this context?

Thank you.

[Paul B.]

What's local...maybe skip that word and call it alternative names. Names given to it in different parts of Indonesian areas / islands.
Here another example in my collection, the one we all know wrapped around with cord (sometimes hair) but the flower on top makes it less common.
These are usually asociated with a walikat dress?