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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Helllo Mariec,
This looks like an old (19th century?) balinese blade of good standard although it would benefit from being cleaned & treated for improving the pamor contrast. The winged animal at the base (naga?) looks original to the blade from the pics but it could be more recent. The wooden hilt in togogan "demon child" style is recent and of common quality. A good catch for a first keris, congrats! |
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#2 |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,100
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I would have loved to have found this as my first keris. I agree with Jean pretty much based upon what i can see, though the winged figure seems more a Singo (lion) then a Naga (serpent). It's hard to be sure from your photos, but i agree that this figure appears to be original to this blade. I would say this could be more likely the earlier part of the 19th C than the latter. I would see how well you can clean this up with a bit of WD-40 and a good brushing with an old tooth brush.
It would be nice to see clearer, closer and better lit photos, especially of the figures at the base. I would like to get a better look at the smaller figure at the foot of the winged singo creature. |
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,857
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The totogan child is not a demon, it is the god of children, I cannot remember his name, but he is a protector of children, certainly not a demon.
The lion on the blade might be a later addition, as Jean has noted, I'd need microscopic examination to know this or not. Later additions to blades are not necessarily a bad thing, they sometimes reflect the changes in custodianship of a keris. The "stones" in the uwer might be plastic. If you go with David's suggestion of WD40 and a good scrub --- & I endorse this --- it is probably a good idea to start with a good wash down and toothbrush scrub in the kitchen sink, using warm water & dishwash detergent, then soak the blade over a few days in WD40 & scrub with a hard brush --- not a brush with metal bristles, but a hard toothbrush or similar, then the dishwash detergent & warm water again, dry in the sun & a spray with WD40. This is a very nice keris. I think the very first thing I'd do would be to attack the spot of red rust at the tip with repeated applications of vinegar, using cotton buds. |
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#4 | |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,100
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,732
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Agree with the others, a very nice blade!
![]() Regards, Detlef |
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,238
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Gentlemen,
please compare the crispness of the details of figure and the state of remnants of Greneng. |
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#7 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,857
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Yes Gustav, that Singa does look a bit less worn than other parts of the keris, but when we understand the how, when, where & why of various symbols to a Balinese keris blade, this is not really something of great importance.
The only way I can form a definite opinion on whether a symbol such as this Singa is a addition to a blade is by examination of the blade under magnification. |
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