keris palembang

[kai]

I'd like to share some pictures with you from one of my Palembang keris, for your enjoyment / feedback….

Just to state the obvious: I believe this is a very neat status blade which is also confirmed by the high-quality timber selected for the scabbard crosspiece. (I can't see much of the stem - this may have been covered by a suasa pendok, anyway.)

My guess is that this keris dates back to the early period when the Dutch took over Palembang. However, the hilt and the selut seem to be much younger and of lesser quality. I'd put these in a box and look for a high-quality Palembang hilt to bring this ensemble back to its former glory. Luckily, Palembang hilts are not terribly rare - make sure to find one with a real Palembang selut and of suitable size to the blade though! (I don't recommend trying to upgrade any keris by default; I'm sure this isn't an original ensemble though.)

Regards,
Kai