Palembang keris?

A. G. Maisey · 16th December 2023, 06:27 PM

So, why suasa?

If we look very carefully at the fitting of the selut to the hilt, it is not all that great, my gut feeling is that this selut is a later fitting, maybe bought in the market and fitted by the owner.

The blade would have cost serious money, somebody who could afford this blade could certainly afford suasa, which can go very low in gold content, and at the time it was made would not have been all that expensive. At various times in the past, the cost of gold was not all that more expensive than silver, & if you're using low carat gold, it not really going to break the bank.

But its true, I'm just floating an opinion, others can can have differing opinions.

As for the prevalence of suasa, there have always been more people with tight budgets than people with flexible budgets.

kai · 16th December 2023, 06:42 PM

I'm with Alan, David.

A plain suasa pendok is the norm in Palembang for high-end pieces. Obviously, these are only a fraction of all keris Palembang.

Quite a few ensembles lost such pendok later on. Thus, they are not very common; still, there are enough examples in musea and old collections to prove this local preference.

Regards,
Kai

kai · 16th December 2023, 07:32 PM

Hello Peter,

Please post close-ups of the wood under strong daylight after some TLC. This will help to estimate the quality of the timber utuilized for the fittings.

The hilt definitely is of high quality material.

Also please take close-up of the crosspiece before cleaning/treatment - sometimes a "shadow" from the pendok can be discernible under strong light.

Regards,
Kai

David · 16th December 2023, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kai

A plain suasa pendok is the norm in Palembang for high-end pieces. Obviously, these are only a fraction of all keris Palembang.

hmmm...maybe i should have the metal tested on the pendok on my high end Palembang keris. I have always assumed it was brass.

kai · 17th December 2023, 02:44 AM

The difference is very obvious to the eye, David!

kai · 17th December 2023, 03:06 AM

Here's an example that hasn't been repolished for quite a while:

David · 20th December 2023, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kai

The difference is very obvious to the eye, David!

LOL! Yes Kai, i was making a joke. Sorry it went past you.

Just my way of wondering how something can be the "norm" while at the same time existing only in a "fraction" of examples.

17th December 2023, 03:06 AM	#6
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Here's an example that hasn't been repolished for quite a while: Attached Images

16th December 2023, 06:27 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	So, why suasa? If we look very carefully at the fitting of the selut to the hilt, it is not all that great, my gut feeling is that this selut is a later fitting, maybe bought in the market and fitted by the owner. The blade would have cost serious money, somebody who could afford this blade could certainly afford suasa, which can go very low in gold content, and at the time it was made would not have been all that expensive. At various times in the past, the cost of gold was not all that more expensive than silver, & if you're using low carat gold, it not really going to break the bank. But its true, I'm just floating an opinion, others can can have differing opinions. As for the prevalence of suasa, there have always been more people with tight budgets than people with flexible budgets.

16th December 2023, 06:42 PM	#2
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	I'm with Alan, David. A plain suasa pendok is the norm in Palembang for high-end pieces. Obviously, these are only a fraction of all keris Palembang. Quite a few ensembles lost such pendok later on. Thus, they are not very common; still, there are enough examples in musea and old collections to prove this local preference. Regards, Kai

16th December 2023, 07:32 PM	#3
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Hello Peter, Please post close-ups of the wood under strong daylight after some TLC. This will help to estimate the quality of the timber utuilized for the fittings. The hilt definitely is of high quality material. Also please take close-up of the crosspiece before cleaning/treatment - sometimes a "shadow" from the pendok can be discernible under strong light. Regards, Kai

17th December 2023, 02:44 AM	#5
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	The difference is very obvious to the eye, David!