Looking for info on this carved bone kris

David · 20th October 2022, 10:35 PM

Size is not usually what determines that a keris was made for the tourist market. There are many types of keris such as keris patrem and keris selit that can be rather small, but are real cultural items.
I don't generally call out something for being a "tourist keris" unless it's one of those nasty keris-like-objects (KLOs) that they sold in Balinese marketplaces with the stock reduction blades and fake pamor. So i won't call this one that and it is hard to say what this one was actually made for. But the blade here, while certainly of some age, is a rather unrefined little fellow, not created by someone with great skills. I don't really see many indicators that allow me to place its origin. The script that has been added is rather inexpertly done. I'm not sure what it is meant to say. It might be a passage from the Koran or it might simply be gibberish. Someone here may know. The all bone sheath is not of the type that i have ever seen used for serious cultural keris dress. There may be exceptions. It's carved in a Malay style, possibly Sumatran. A Javanese mendak completes the ensemble.
This is all to say that your instincts may well be correct.

20th October 2022, 10:35 PM	#4
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,109	Size is not usually what determines that a keris was made for the tourist market. There are many types of keris such as keris patrem and keris selit that can be rather small, but are real cultural items. I don't generally call out something for being a "tourist keris" unless it's one of those nasty keris-like-objects (KLOs) that they sold in Balinese marketplaces with the stock reduction blades and fake pamor. So i won't call this one that and it is hard to say what this one was actually made for. But the blade here, while certainly of some age, is a rather unrefined little fellow, not created by someone with great skills. I don't really see many indicators that allow me to place its origin. The script that has been added is rather inexpertly done. I'm not sure what it is meant to say. It might be a passage from the Koran or it might simply be gibberish. Someone here may know. The all bone sheath is not of the type that i have ever seen used for serious cultural keris dress. There may be exceptions. It's carved in a Malay style, possibly Sumatran. A Javanese mendak completes the ensemble. This is all to say that your instincts may well be correct.