Rentjong: What area???

[Maurice]

Here is one of my latest gain.

Does anybody knows what area this one could be?
Atjeh? Gajo? It seems to be hard because the appearance of this one isn't clearly Atjeh or clearly Gajo!

The handle is hippo ivory with a suassa ferrule.

Thanks in advance!
Maurice

[Maurice]

Oh, the scabbard by the way is not the original one, but fits perfect!

[Sajen]

Hi Maurice,

I don't have a clue from where it is but it is very very nice!

[chregu]

hi maurice

Do I have almost the same! have no idea where it comes from.

[Gavin Nugent]

I've got one too Maurice, it came with the Kelling Hall collection;

http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s182_full.html

I look forward to hearing what the Sumatran experts say but my feeling is Atjeh based on the majority of the Collection only.

You are certainly putting together a nice collection.

Gav

[kai]

Nice one, Maurice!

All 3 examples seem to be hulu puntung variations.

Gavin's piece almost resembles the hulu dandan style. Blade is apparently heavily worn - tough to place this one; the nice scabbard looks fairly typical and I'd guess it's from Aceh if none of the inked motifs suggests otherwise.

Christoph's piece looks odd and the scabbard seems to be a later replacement. I'd really like to see this blade cleaned and lightly stained to bring out the laminations - if it's really antique, I'd believe that the rather stubby blade shape might suggest a Gayo origin. The hilt is also odd but doesn't look like one of those recent oddities fabricated on Java/Madura/Bali...

Maurice's piece is obviously antique and unique. While a status piece, I believe it's original owner was not too affluent: the workmanship of the suasa ferrule is pretty basic and IMHO the hilt suggests that the shape was influenced by the (limited) chunk of ivory available to the craftsman. Thus, I'm not sure we can glean much on it's origin from these features except that it probably doesn't came from any center of power. However, the scabbard this piece had with it is one of the most flaboyant wooden examples I've seen! If really original to this rencong it might indeed point to a Gayo origin...

Maybe Erik can post some pics of the scabbard here?

Regards,
Kai

[erikscollectables]

Hi Kai/Maurice,

Most Gayo scabbards I know are different from this one and the one I have.
Most often dark wood ipo the typical light wood of Aceh and in cases of an ivory handle also the top of the sheath is often made of ivory (like on some sikin in another region).

Here is a picture of the sheath Kai mentions.

Sheaths are constantly traded and exchanged it seems - this happens now but also happened in the past. So to a certain extend you never know how original a scabbard is to the knife with these

Originally Posted by kai

Nice one, Maurice!

However, the scabbard this piece had with it is one of the most flaboyant wooden examples I've seen! If really original to this rencong it might indeed point to a Gayo origin...

Maybe Erik can post some pics of the scabbard here?

Regards,
Kai

[Maurice]

Gentlemen,

Thank you all for your input.
I agree with Erik, that there is no guarantee that the scabbard that covers the blade is 100% the original one.

If I didn't mention my scabbard wasn't the original, you probably would have believed it because it fits for the fully 100%. Just like it was made for it.

I guess you can only be sure when you have a rentjong in your hands with provenance, and than also it could be that they were put together in the past, because the original was lost or maybe damaged too heavily.

Is there a thread where we can read more between the differences of rentjongs regarding the regions where they come from?

Nice addition to mention is that I found some old images where gayo people have rentjongs (not this type as discussed here in this thread) worn different ways... The normal way and "upside down"...

Maurice

[erikscollectables]

Good pictures made by Lt Neeb and published in the book by Lt Kempees about the "excursion" as it was called in those days to the Gayo, Batak and Alas countries by Lt-Col Van Daalen (later General and commander of the Dutch East Indies Army-KNIL).

In that case Batak would have been the Karo Batak.

If you look at weapons like the lopah petawaran it is (almost) impossible to find if a weapon is Aceh, Gayo or Batak. The styles must have influenced each other very much.

The same goes for the rencong of Aceh and Gayo - sometimes it is clear but often not.....

Regards, Erik

Originally Posted by Maurice

Gentlemen,

Nice addition to mention is that I found some old images where gayo people have rentjongs (not this type as discussed here in this thread) worn different ways... The normal way and "upside down"...

Maurice

[erikscollectables]

Here a picture of my favourite rencong.
A very very large (I think) ceremonial (certainly) Gayo rencong.
Handle of ivory with silver covering and triple crown.
Frontpiece of the blade covered with suassa.

This covering is typical for Gayo status pieces - most often in copper with some black enemal inlays....

Regards, Erik

[Maurice]

Yes this is a beautifull piece Erik.
Almost just as beautifull as the one with silver handle you also have in your collection with that dark scabbard.
In the book "Atjeh" from Zentgraaff, which I am reading at the moment, there are a lot of scenes described, with Athjenese men and women stabbing with rentjongs towards the "Kompenie" and eachother...

[Battara]

What a nice piece with all that ivory, silver, and suassa.......

[asomotif]

Here 2 pictures of men wearing a rencong.

Nr 1 being mentioned as gayo, nr 2 said to be Atjeh and being carrier different. with the crosspiece sticking upwards.

Nr, 3 is an example in het "wereldmuseum" in Rotterdam.

[erikscollectables]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Nr, 3 is an example in het "wereldmuseum" in Rotterdam.

That number 3 is a typical high grade Gajo rencong IMHO.
Nice dandan hilt - copper/gold covering of the base and first real part of the blade (these covers often also have some enemal inlay) and a sheath were the top part is seperate and also made of ivory like the handle.

Still am looking for a nice complete one like this - so if you have one do send me an mail with your price

Regards, Erik

[erikscollectables]

Here a picture from an old thread with what to me is the typical top grade of Gayo Rencong. Probably a status or ceremonial piece (for a high ranking person). The picture was posted by Michael (VVV) so I hope he does not mind me posting it here again.

Regards, Erik

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

That number 3 is a typical high grade Gajo rencong IMHO.
Nice dandan hilt - copper/gold covering of the base and first real part of the blade (these covers often also have some enemal inlay) and a sheath were the top part is seperate and also made of ivory like the handle.

Still am looking for a nice complete one like this - so if you have one do send me an mail with your price

Regards, Erik

[erikscollectables]

And a description of a very similair one in the Leiden collection catalogue

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

Here a picture from an old thread with what to me is the typical top grade of Gayo Rencong. Probably a status or ceremonial piece (for a high ranking person). The picture was posted by Michael (VVV) so I hope he does not mind me posting it here again.

Regards, Erik

[erikscollectables]

Originally Posted by Maurice

Yes this is a beautifull piece Erik.
Almost just as beautifull as the one with silver handle you also have in your collection with that dark scabbard.
In the book "Atjeh" from Zentgraaff, which I am reading at the moment, there are a lot of scenes described, with Athjenese men and women stabbing with rentjongs towards the "Kompenie" and eachother...

You meant this one - yep also a favorite like my entire collection less and less but also better and better

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

You meant this one - yep also a favorite like my entire collection less and less but also better and better

Hi Erik...Yes I mean that one.

I guess a thread to depict your favorite piece is not good for you....You have to depict all your pieces than....because all are your favorites..

Kind Regards,
Maurice