Keris (or not ?) with chinese handle

[Gustav]

Alan, thank you for your remarks.

Looking at how Keris terminology has changed over last 40 years I can imagine, terminology used by people around 120 years ago could leave us really wondering about it, even if we suppose the society and Keris lore could have been a bit more conservative and certainly not developing in a way how it is developing today.

I must say, unfortunately I don't have the German language original of Groneman's work.

But I looked through Jasper&Mas Pirngadie. They also mention two kinds of Selut: "seloet trap-trappan" (OE in this and all following words is Dutch spelling for modern U)and tatahan. Both names indicate the method of production.

With Selut Trap-trapan they mention following motifs:
1) "Kembang Oentoek-Oentoek (=foam)" - which changes the perspective and we have now a connection with flowers here indeed.
2) "Kembang Anggoer"
3) "Tamparran"

With Selut Tatahan they mention following motifs:
1) "Seloet Djlengoet"
2) "Wilojo" (I write an A with overring as O)
3) "Koemo Irawan" (ditto)
4) "Loeng Gadoeng"
5) "Saton"
6) "Tlatjappan" (Tlatjap=Toempal)

[A. G. Maisey]

You are absolutely correct Gustav:- language changes & understandings change over time.

Another thing that particularly applies to Javanese language usage is that the actual words used do not always indicate what a literal translation of those words might be. In other words, we cannot assume that just because words used might mean one thing in a literal translation, the speaker's meaning can be understood literally.

However, just using what Groneman wrote, the use of "trap-trapan" refers to the way the selut was made, "tatahan" refers to the method of decoration. Even now we will refer to a selut or a pendok or something else as a selut/pendok/or whatever as tatahan, but the actual shape of the selut would need to be specified. The normal assumption would be that we wanted a selut jeruk pecel if we only said "tatahan", but if we did not want to end up with something bigger than we actually wanted, we should specify that.

In Solo we have two forms of selut classified by shape, the first is jeruk pecel, the second is jeruk keprok. Now, those two basic shapes are further classified into various styles, for example, we have selut trap-trapan(ie, a fabricated selut), selut tatahan (ie, a selut that has been ornamented by carving with chisel work) then we have others like selut krawangan, selut unthuk-unthukan ( usually shortened to unthuk-unthuk), selut m'rutu sewu, selut wungkul (wungkul refers only to round things and it means something that has not yet been cut, so in BI, that means it is "polos", ie unornamented). Then we might want to specify motifs, such as lung-lungan, or maybe anggur, or kembang anggrek.

J&P is a respected source, iconic, but just the names of things are not really a whole lot of use unless we understand what the meaning is that the name is supposed to convey, for example we can have a fabricated selut that has been worked by using the krawangan method of working and that is then ornamented with precious or semi-precious stones. Such a selut would be a selut trap-trapan, krawangan tretes.

However, in speech we do not usually give a full description of a selut when we refer to it, we just abbreviate to a single word, or a couple of words that will convey the meaning. So we might just say that we are looking for a selut tatahan, this immediately conveys that we do not want a fabricated (trap-trapan) selut, nor do we want a krawangan or tretes selut.

But if we say that we want a krawangan selut, that might generate the question as to whether we want a selut tretes or just a plain selut that draws its ornamentation from the krawangan work alone.

It all comes down to the necessity of knowing exactly what it is that we are talking about, otherwise it is just words with no clear meaning.

[Marcokeris]

here something about selut from a B.H. book

[A. G. Maisey]

That's not a bad explanation Marco, as far as it goes.

The exploded drawing of the trap-trapan selut I believe makes it quite clear that with trap-trapan we are talking about what we would perhaps call a "fabricated" selut in English, the parts are made, and then arranged to form the finished product. The word "trap-trapan" carries the meaning of arranging something into its place.

However, after the basic selut has been assembled (ie, "fabricated") the motif is cut into it, and this work makes the basic selut an object that carries "krawangan" work. The ornamentation of the trap-trapan selut can stop right there, but if gems are added, that selut which has been produced by arranging the separate parts together, then cutting a motif into it, becomes a selut "tretes" when the gems are added. A selut such as this has a lot of work in it & involves a number of aspects of the jeweller's craft, carving, sculpting, engraving, chiselling, soldering.

In the old days, the jewellers & goldsmiths in Jalan Coyudan used to do this sort of work , but after about the 1950's keris related work became more focussed I think and craftsmen specialising in keris dress were located in various areas. At the moment some very good seluts of this style are produced in Purwokerto, the trap-trapan selut is usually the size & style that we identify as Jeruk Keprok.

The tatahan selut usually starts with a body that has been cast, the casting is refined by polishing & shaping before the finishing begins. The finishing is usually just the engraving of a motif into the metal using hand chisels & gravers. This then is the selut tatahan.

What Harsrinuksmo says is:- "Bagian-bagian tertentu dari gambaran pola hias itu lalu ditatah (dipahat) sehingga berlobang. Maka jadilah bundaran itu sebuah calonan selut krawangan.(gambar 3)".

So we have a selut tatahan up to the point where the design is cut through the metal, once the design is cut through the metal that tatahan work becomes krawangan work, and we have a selut krawangan. Harsrinuksmo says "calonan selut krawangan'', "calonan" means a "candidate", so the selut that began as a "candidate" to become a selut tatahan, with only an engraved design, or maybe no design at all, can become a selut krawangan when the design is carved through the metal. Then if gems are added --- which would be very unusual with this type of selut, we have a selut tretes.

But there is one thing that does not change:- that selut which started as a selut tatahan will be the size and shape of a selut Jeruk Pecel. Only the selut trap-trapan that is fabricated will be a selut Jeruk Keprok.

There is another kind of selut that I believe is only a recent product, it has the size & shape of a Selut Jeruk Pecel, but instead of the body being cast, that body is made of very thin brass sheet that has a false krawangan work motif stamped into it. These seluts are very low priced.

[Marcokeris]

Thank you very much Alan for these very comprehensive informations

[A. G. Maisey]

I'm pleased to be of service Marco.

There is actually quite a lot that could be written on seluts and mendak, and other dress items too. These days new technology and new application of existing old-time processes has altered a lot of things.

For instance, those Purwokerto seluts that I mentioned are actually cast, but have the appearance of being fabricated and with applied krawangan work. The take-away is that a well made Purwokerto selut can look as good as a Solo fabricated selut at a fraction of the Solo price.

Other things are changing too. Way, way back, maybe about 1984 Harjonegoro told me that at that time there was only one man in Central Jawa who was able to make the traditional style granulated mendak. This man had a son who was mentally handicapped, but he was able to make this mendak style. The father passed away long ago, this mendak style was still in the markets for a while, but it has now --- well, as of 2019 --- virtually disappeared.

But new productions and variants on old styles seem to continually appear. Regrettably, finding any dress of decent quality these days is difficult. I used to know several m'ranggis who were capable of very good to superb work, as of 2019 they had all either moved to some other form of work or had died.

There are still tukang jejeran & tukang wrongko in Solo, but from what I've seen of their work I would not entrust a valuable item to them. I am not implying dishonesty, only a lack of skill.

I get told that all the really good craftsmen have moved to Jakarta and are working on contract to the Big Boys. Maybe. I don't know anything for sure, except that I can no longer get the standard of work that I am prepared to accept.