EBay pick-up

A. G. Maisey · 3rd January 2013, 04:45 AM

Very, very good David.

Very good indeed.

On the fill of the mouth in a wrongko.

There are a number of reasons for this:-

1) a wrongko can be original, but worn, and no longer provides a good fit or protection for the blade, so the over-size mouth is filled, usually by an inlay of wood, sometimes done in a contrasting colour.

2) a wrongko might be of particularly good wood, and is intentionally used instead of new wood; the thought behind this is a little bit like marrying a woman who is of exceptional quality, rather than a virgin:- a virgin has her own virtue, but a beautiful or intelligent woman with several previous husbands can more than compensate for the limited virtues of a virgin.

3) economy:- re-use of old can be a lot more economical than creation of new.

In view of the quality of the wood in this wrongko I'm inclined to think that reason #2 is the applicable one.

In accordance with what I believe to be true, this keris is East Jawa, meaning that it could be found in Madura, as Madura is a part of East Jawa, but it is not necessarily identifiable as of specifically Madura origin.

David · 3rd January 2013, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Very, very good David.

Very good indeed.

On the fill of the mouth in a wrongko.

There are a number of reasons for this:-

1) a wrongko can be original, but worn, and no longer provides a good fit or protection for the blade, so the over-size mouth is filled, usually by an inlay of wood, sometimes done in a contrasting colour.

2) a wrongko might be of particularly good wood, and is intentionally used instead of new wood; the thought behind this is a little bit like marrying a woman who is of exceptional quality, rather than a virgin:- a virgin has her own virtue, but a beautiful or intelligent woman with several previous husbands can more than compensate for the limited virtues of a virgin.

3) economy:- re-use of old can be a lot more economical than creation of new.

In view of the quality of the wood in this wrongko I'm inclined to think that reason #2 is the applicable one.

In accordance with what I believe to be true, this keris is East Jawa, meaning that it could be found in Madura, as Madura is a part of East Jawa, but it is not necessarily identifiable as of specifically Madura origin.

Thanks Alan. Yes, i am also inclined towards your 2nd explanation. It seems to me that the fitted piece of wood is a bit too large to account for adjustments for wear and tear on an original wrongko. And the wood is nice...

A. G. Maisey · 3rd January 2013, 06:33 PM

David, has the fill been done with wood or with shellac?

In the photo it looks like shellac.

David · 3rd January 2013, 10:10 PM

Actually not in my hands yet Alan. I will let you all know next week when i get back into town.

A. G. Maisey · 3rd January 2013, 10:14 PM

OK David, thanks.

David · 12th January 2013, 09:38 PM

This keris arrived today and is proving quite interesting to me.

Alan, it looks to me that the wrongko refitting was done with wood. I think what looks like shellac to you is just the finish they put on the top part to help match it to the sheath. I will see if i can get some good shots of this tomorrow if the weather is good.
The hilt is really nicely carved and i'm fairly certain the kendit is true as well as the pelet wood of the sheath.
The interesting surprise i am having is that it would appear that the pesi might have been expertly replaced with an insert. It's a really nice, clean and tight job of i style i have seen done on Moro kris before, but not Indo. The blade is of better quality than the eBay photos show and it has some interesting pamor material. I will try to provide some close-ups of this when i get a moment and some good light.

A. G. Maisey · 13th January 2013, 06:49 AM

I would have very surprised if the kendit was other than natural and if the wrongko was not from naturally marked wood. This particular type of hilt is quite scarce, I cannot recall ever seeing a bad one. You really did well with this keris, David.

I know of several ways in which a pesi can be repaired, I'll be interested to see what has been done with this one.

3rd January 2013, 04:45 AM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Very, very good David. Very good indeed. On the fill of the mouth in a wrongko. There are a number of reasons for this:- 1) a wrongko can be original, but worn, and no longer provides a good fit or protection for the blade, so the over-size mouth is filled, usually by an inlay of wood, sometimes done in a contrasting colour. 2) a wrongko might be of particularly good wood, and is intentionally used instead of new wood; the thought behind this is a little bit like marrying a woman who is of exceptional quality, rather than a virgin:- a virgin has her own virtue, but a beautiful or intelligent woman with several previous husbands can more than compensate for the limited virtues of a virgin. 3) economy:- re-use of old can be a lot more economical than creation of new. In view of the quality of the wood in this wrongko I'm inclined to think that reason #2 is the applicable one. In accordance with what I believe to be true, this keris is East Jawa, meaning that it could be found in Madura, as Madura is a part of East Jawa, but it is not necessarily identifiable as of specifically Madura origin.

3rd January 2013, 06:33 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	David, has the fill been done with wood or with shellac? In the photo it looks like shellac.

3rd January 2013, 10:10 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	Actually not in my hands yet Alan. I will let you all know next week when i get back into town.

3rd January 2013, 10:14 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	OK David, thanks.

12th January 2013, 09:38 PM	#6
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	This keris arrived today and is proving quite interesting to me. Alan, it looks to me that the wrongko refitting was done with wood. I think what looks like shellac to you is just the finish they put on the top part to help match it to the sheath. I will see if i can get some good shots of this tomorrow if the weather is good. The hilt is really nicely carved and i'm fairly certain the kendit is true as well as the pelet wood of the sheath. The interesting surprise i am having is that it would appear that the pesi might have been expertly replaced with an insert. It's a really nice, clean and tight job of i style i have seen done on Moro kris before, but not Indo. The blade is of better quality than the eBay photos show and it has some interesting pamor material. I will try to provide some close-ups of this when i get a moment and some good light.

13th January 2013, 06:49 AM	#7
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	I would have very surprised if the kendit was other than natural and if the wrongko was not from naturally marked wood. This particular type of hilt is quite scarce, I cannot recall ever seeing a bad one. You really did well with this keris, David. I know of several ways in which a pesi can be repaired, I'll be interested to see what has been done with this one.