Features of this keris.

[Ki Jayamalelo]

Hello Alam Shah and all Kerislovers,

i don`t want to make you angry but there must be some critics! But first of all i want to say according to my textbook with drawings of 1920 of the Keraton Solo this keris is:

dhapur Pandhawa Karna Tinandhing but because of the ganja kelap lintah we could add Pandhawa Karna Tinandhing kelap lintah ?.

The description of the ricikan are:

luk 5, blades with 5 luk has in general the name pandhawa

pejetan ngajeng-wingking,
sogokan ngajeng-wingking,
tikel alis ngajeng-wingking,
sekar kacang ngajeng-wingking,
lambe gajah kalih ngajeng-wingking,
jalen ngajeng-wingking,
pudhak sategal bungkem,
ron dha kalih.

The design of this dhapur is probably not so old (late 19th-early 20th cent ?)

The execution and garapan of this blade ist still far from perfect because of the base line of the ganja and blade. Should be a small angle between the centerline of the blade and the base line therefor the blade is showing stiffness. Also the buntut of the ganja (to long) and also the flow of the wuwung ganja especialy the luk of the buntut-side is to slow.The lower ron dha is more closed then the upper one. The tampingan pejetan are almost parallel to the ada-ada, should be more narrow in the upper part and the tampingan should be straight. The lambe gajah goes to far out of the blade.

But anyway its a beginning and i have the feeling or better my observation are: the quality of of modern keris is improving and this makes me quite happy especially the keris becomes a world treasure of mankind.

The mass production of Madura might have followers but most of them are not the real high keris culture.

Salam to all of you and Happy New Year

Ki Jayamalelo

[simatua]

Hello Ki Jayamalelo,

I placed this keris before on the forum. I got just a little response.
Your Critism is a eye opener ( although to me )
Is it possible to give a comment on this one?
Of course everybody is invited too, dont hold back
thanks in advance

greetings

[nechesh]

No need to worry about angering me at least, opinions are just that.
Perfection is a) Like beauty in the eyes of the beholder b) Perhaps best reserved for the likes of God. I think it might also be a bit difficult to really judge the garap of this blade given the limited area of the blade that is shown. I still think this is an exellent example of modern keris making. Let us keep in mind that most older blades fall even further from the tree of perfection than this one. Critique is all well and good and in fact necessary, but i would still be pleased to own such a blade.
You might also keep in mind that your ideal of the perfect blade is based on an older set of standards which may infact being changing in mode with fashion. Nothing stays the same, not even man's ideal of perfection. Just take a look at older art works to see how the ideal female form has changed over the years and through different cultures.
I think it might also be a mistake to place all these modern keris under the title of "mass produced" Madurese. Firstly mass produced gives me the idea of something machine made, where one product is identical to the next. While certain modern methods are no doubt employed this is hardly the case in the making of this keris. Also, keris of many different levels are being produce today, just as in the past. This is an example of the higher end of that spectrum. I also hope not to anger you when i say that i could really care less how the "real high culture" of keris view these modern works. That hardly invalidates their existence for me. I obviously don't collect keris for the same reasons they do, perhaps not for the same reasons ANYONE else does. All this being said, i must admit that the large part of my collection is older keris, 19thC and older, but i do own a couple of very nice 20thC pieces. To paraphrase an old saying, I may not know keris, but i know what i like.

[Mans]

Originally Posted by nechesh

........
I think it might also be a mistake to place all these modern keris under the title of "mass produced" Madurese. Firstly mass produced gives me the idea of something machine made, where one product is identical to the next. While certain modern methods are no doubt employed this is hardly the case in the making of this keris. Also, keris of many different levels are being produce today, just as in the past. This is an example of the higher end of that spectrum.

Right, Nechesh.
Here I posted the example of each levels are being produced today
All of these keris are NEW MADE.

[Emanuel]

Hello to all,

I have just started collecting and learning about keris, and one thing that is fascinating about them as objects is the level of craftsmanship that can go into their making. When I look at the examples above, I can really believe the old stories of famous empu shaping the hot metal with their bare hands...or other body parts in some case ...they really are organic. Ask a modern machine shop to make something of such complex shape, and with all modern CAM software and automated carving machinery few if any would be up to the challenge. New keris may -for the most part- not serve their original purpose, but as a craft, they do seem to undergo a renaissance. Look how far from their home they've gone, I'm in Canada!!
Hopefully with this rebirth, real empu might once again play big parts in keris culture.

Manolo

[nechesh]

Sorry Martin, i didn't see your post til just now. Yes, your keris is of a similar dapor, but just as we were saying about different quality levels of modern blades i think you can probably see that yours is somewhat inferior to Alam's example. While Ki might find the form of Alam's keris stiff i think you will agree that yours is much less flowing. The garap just isn't right. But then, this is just one man's opinion.

[BluErf]

Originally Posted by nechesh

Sorry Martin, i didn't see your post til just now. Yes, your keris is of a similar dapor, but just as we were saying about different quality levels of modern blades i think you can probably see that yours is somewhat inferior to Alam's example.

Mans' kerises have less fancy dapur, but I don't think all of them can be said to be inferior.

The 2nd picture from the top -- that is a very graceful and balanced keris that does not lose out to the karna tinanding, which I think is a nice one too.

Look at the way the kembang kacang progresses from thick to thin before curling in -- its just 'manis' (ok, the final curled tip is a bit disappointing, but still the overal kembang kacang is very well-executed). Notice that both sides of the kembang kacang are not 'flat' at the top; there is a slight concave contour to it. This feature is much better than the karna tinanding's

The jalen and the lambei gajah, and the gandik under the jalen curls very nicely, and are not too long, not too stubby. I feel that this set of features are thus nicer than the karna tinanding's rather exaggerated ones.

The sogokan depan and belakang, in my opinion, are about as nice as the karna tinanding's, though still a bit stiff. Nice fat bungkul too.

The ganja is better though, especially in terms of the definition of the greneng, the length in proportion to the base, and the curve at the end.

Luk-wise, the keris looks proportionate and sweet.

And hey, pamor is condense and very well executed too.

Personally, I'd prefer this keris to the karna tinanding, although if presented with the chance to acquire the karna tinanding, I would grab it too!

[nechesh]

Kai Wee, i wasn't talking about Mans display of newly made keris, i was referring to Martin's (simatua) karno tinanding example which is, at least to my eye, inferior in both overall form and craftsmanship. I agree with you about Mans' examples and have never been one to be swayed by a fancy dapor.

[Alam Shah]

Hello, Ki Jayamalelo. I thank you for your observation and frank opinion.
I'm not angry, should I?
I had seen the entries in the "Buku Dhuwung", the one you're referring to. I know it does not conform exactly in the book, but as I mentioned earlier, I'll collect as long as it appeals to me whether it's perfect or not.

I agree with Nechesh, on his opinion of perfection and mass-production.

Originally Posted by Ki Jayamalelo

The mass production of Madura might have followers but most of them are not the real high keris culture.

You may be right but frankly, I do not care about the real high keris culture. I collect what I like, as long as it makes me happy. Your opinions are noted. Thanks again. Salam and a Happy New Year.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Manolo

I have just started collecting and learning about keris, and one thing that is fascinating about them as objects is the level of craftsmanship that can go into their making. Ask a modern machine shop to make something of such complex shape, and with all modern CAM software and automated carving machinery few if any would be up to the challenge. New keris may -for the most part- not serve their original purpose, but as a craft, they do seem to undergo a renaissance. Look how far from their home they've gone, I'm in Canada!!
Manolo

My other modern piece, not a keris but using modern CAM equipment with precision and manual finishes.

[Emanuel]

Well that shut me up Alam Shah, I'll have to watch my exhuberance and admiration for the manual craft.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by Manolo

Well that shut me up Alam Shah, I'll have to watch my exhuberance and admiration for the manual craft.

It's OK, we are all here to learn.

[BluErf]

Originally Posted by Ki Jayamalelo

The mass production of Madura might have followers but most of them are not the real high keris culture.

Hi Ki Jayamalelo,

Alas... 99.9999% of us keris collectors can never hope to own, touch, or even see a high-culture keris...

But your comments are certainly necessary to see where the high end of the bar is. Empu Kumis used to share with us the features of a good keris, in accordance to his very strict standards.

Unfortunately, pictures of good high-culture kerises are far and few in between, so it is difficult to appreciate the aesthetic nuances that the words are trying to describe.

[Battara]

Originally Posted by BluErf

Hi Ki Jayamalelo,

Alas... 99.9999% of us keris collectors can never hope to own, touch, or even see a high-culture keris... .

You're not kidding. I have a better end Bali keris that I am 10 years now in restoring. The only true high-culture keris I have ever seen up close and touched ( ) was one that Rsword brought to Timonium last year - a Bugis keris with great pamor and covered in 22k gold (but missing a bottom part ). It was beautiful, but I could not come near affording it (though I wanted to very much ).

[nechesh]

I'm afraid it's even worse than you think Jose. I didn't see the keris Rick brought to the last seminar, so i could be wrong, but if he was asking less than $50,000.00 it probably didn't qualify or he didn't truly know what he had and was asking too little. This don't mean that it wasn't a very nice keris. Don't let the gold fool you, anyone can add that on to a well made blade and make it look like something even more than it is.
We tend to see a lot more dress that could clothe a high end keris than the keris themselves, probably because high end dress is still being made. Most often the keris we see in such fancy dress are decent to poor, with the dress meant to sell the package. As has been implied, these "high culture" keris are raely, if ever, seen by mere mortal eyes.

[BluErf]

I don't think there is a "cutoff price" like US$50k that differentiates a high culture keris from a normal keris. It depends on what the owner wants for the keris, which, for some lucky guy, could be US$1 because the aging owner thinks he is the best person to look after the keris for the next few decades.

I also think that a high-end keris is not necessarily a high-culture keris, because high-culture kerises implies extremely high levels of artistry which usually means it is expensive, while a high-end keris can be made from very expensive materials, but of mediocre artistry.

And as for decent to poor kerises in high-end dress, apart from those done up by unscrupulous dealers, there are instances of real royal kerises from Bugis and Malay courts, and I believe even in the Javanese courts, which have blades that are so-so. These could be the old royal regalia, or simply a keris with special meaning to the royal family. One such example is the incredible gold Bugis keris gracing the cover of Court Arts of Indonesia. The gem-encrusted gold toli-toli with the dazzling gemmed rosette disc (sorry, forgot the term for that), and the repoussed gold sheets are of the highest quality, but the blade is just a good, old tough 7-waved Bugis blade.

Heheh, this is almost going into the 'pedigree' of a high-culture keris. There are ordinary kerises who follow the fortunes of the owner and get real beautiful dresses (i.e. the noveau rich), and there are kerises who were 'born high' and dressed high from day 1 (i.e. the snooty old money rich).

[nechesh]

Sorry Kai Wee, i didn't mean to throw that out as a cut-off price, just trying to throw out a number which was high enough to imply that one might pay, say $10,000 for a keris and still not get a "high culture" piece, just a VERY nice (hopefully ) keris. Again, these are arbitrary figures. Personally, i would just love to be that "lucky guy" who buys such a keris for only $1 (Santa, are you listening ), but i don't really think this happens all to often. Still.....
Certainly it is true that there are some royal blades in high-end dress that could be considered mediocre. But these are not the keris that are generally presented to us collectors. What i was referring to were keris we see on the open market and especially on ebay and yes, we might consider these guys "unscrupulous dealers". It is especially common to see this done with Balinese keris as the Balinese still make very fine dress of gold, silver and gemstones which can dazzle the eye of the unsuspecting collector.
Where did you see the blade on the Sumatran keris on the cover of Court Arts? I don't recall seeing a photo of it in the book. The dress is indeed exquisite.

[BluErf]

Yes, the photos were not published. sorry, can't share them because they're not mine to do so... But yes, just imagine a good old tough Bugis luk 7 blade with pamor kulit semangka, ujung gunong, wengkon, and a fair bit of akhodiat; the kembang kacang worn off a bit at the end; the luks are shallow but beautiful. There are no sogokans, lis-lisan, not much greneng.