Balinese Keris For Comment

BluErf · 9th August 2005, 03:12 PM

Btw, I thought Rick's keris has a level higher of artistry than typical Madurese work, and the sheath is made from different materials usually seen on Madurese work, hence, I thought there may be another centre of keris crafting near Bali/Lombok that is producing these Balinese kerises. Somewhere on Easterb Java seems likely. Of course, I could be mistaken. There could be a village on Madura specialising in Balinese kerises, and they use different wood from the villages making Javanese kerises. But anyhow, just compare Rick's keris with Mans' keris, and you can see some difference in style already.

Madura or another centre of keris crafting?

One more point -- Rick's keris is more 'fine-boned' than the Balinese kerises I've seen. Not in terms of finese of work, but it has this compact feel, like something between a Javanese keris and a Balinese keris.

See below for examples of 'thick-lined' pamors on Balinese/Lombok kerises I have.

Rick · 9th August 2005, 03:37 PM

Hi Guys ,

First , I think Lew's example is every bit as nice as mine .
I think it's the hilt that may set them apart .

All of these kerisses have been offered by the same Seller on ebay .
He is a Californian , and if IRC spent time in Madura , E.Jawa , Bali and Lombok . He did not state where he bought the kerisses but he did say that he bought a great amount of tombaks while visiting Madura .

The workmanship on all these pieces is as you say quite good for contemporary work although a little lacking on final finish , and in my case scabbard fit . I would suspect that they all were acquired from the same native source .

There are also certain aspects to these keris that remind me of early work from Bantam , W. Jawa .

9th August 2005, 03:12 PM	#1
BluErf Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,180	Btw, I thought Rick's keris has a level higher of artistry than typical Madurese work, and the sheath is made from different materials usually seen on Madurese work, hence, I thought there may be another centre of keris crafting near Bali/Lombok that is producing these Balinese kerises. Somewhere on Easterb Java seems likely. Of course, I could be mistaken. There could be a village on Madura specialising in Balinese kerises, and they use different wood from the villages making Javanese kerises. But anyhow, just compare Rick's keris with Mans' keris, and you can see some difference in style already. Madura or another centre of keris crafting? One more point -- Rick's keris is more 'fine-boned' than the Balinese kerises I've seen. Not in terms of finese of work, but it has this compact feel, like something between a Javanese keris and a Balinese keris. See below for examples of 'thick-lined' pamors on Balinese/Lombok kerises I have. Attached Images

9th August 2005, 03:37 PM	#2
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	Hi Guys , First , I think Lew's example is every bit as nice as mine . I think it's the hilt that may set them apart . All of these kerisses have been offered by the same Seller on ebay . He is a Californian , and if IRC spent time in Madura , E.Jawa , Bali and Lombok . He did not state where he bought the kerisses but he did say that he bought a great amount of tombaks while visiting Madura . The workmanship on all these pieces is as you say quite good for contemporary work although a little lacking on final finish , and in my case scabbard fit . I would suspect that they all were acquired from the same native source . There are also certain aspects to these keris that remind me of early work from Bantam , W. Jawa .