keris for comment

[A. G. Maisey]

It appears to be generally accepted that there is a wide variety in blade styles that originate from the island of Lombok.

These blades styles are in accordance with the origins of the racial group living on Lombok, from which the blades originate.

The major racial groups living on Lombok are Balinese, Bugis, or Javanese, thus, we can have blade styles that are Balinese, Bugis, or Javanese.

However, these blade styles are often expressed in a uniquely Lombok fashion, and they do often tend towards extreme stylistic espression which sees flamboyant pamor motifs where they logically should not be, and blade styles that contain elements that seem to be out of place or gauche. The examples I have seen of this type of thing remind me of a child playing with an art that he does not understand, and striving to make it as eyecatching as possible.

In respect of this keris, what I think I can see is an old wrongko, at least the gandar is old, the atasan may not be, in spite of the cracked ivory. Over the last 20 or 30 years bride price ivory from the eastern islands has found its way into the hands of carvers in Jawa and Bali and the resultant product when patinated is indistinguishable from a genuine old carving. I believe the gandar to be old, because timoho of this quality simply is not available now --- at least not in my experience. The pendok also looks like older work.

The hilt is current era, and appears to be very good work.

The blade is old, and I could not argue against Lombok as place of origin. It is an Eastern Islands style, but I would accept Lombok as place of origin, in the absence of firm evidence of origin in another place, and as with most keris, I doubt that such evidence will exist.

Based upon what I can see in the photos I would accept this as a Lombok keris, and as one of quite nice overall quality.