Celebes keris?

[David]

Originally Posted by Harley

I know that you're not the only one with this opinion, and as i said, it's a real ugly design, and i also agree that it does not come in the near of a sesrengentan, but we think different of the finesse of that sheath.
There was a time i was tattooing, and I've seen my share of ugly tattoos designs, done without any knowledge or other, but still i could appreciate it if the lines are good, depth, shadow, etc, so thats what i am trying so say.
I would not be ashamed I've had made that sheath(I don't have ), but only regarding the finesse, not the design.

Ben, I don't think we can apply the same standards of tattooing to the keris. Styles are a bit more specific, less freeform. At least in the general world of Western tattooing. However, if we were examining tradition Maori tattoo design, maintaining exacting and specific form of line and design might be a bit more important from a cultural standpoint. The sheath of your Bali keris looks well constructed for sure, but the carving shows little understanding of the line and form of the sheath form it is attempting to be. That is what i mean by finesse, not whether or not the carver knows how to use his tools. From what i can see in your own attempts to create a gayaman style sheath (albeit, a simpler form), you have a far greater ability to observe and copy form than the carver of this sheath did.