Looking for Information on this Kris.

A. G. Maisey · 11th January 2008, 11:21 PM

Gavin old mate, we don't don't talk about the filthy lucre in this place.

No mention of money, valuations. commercial opinions, or even the barest hint of anything that might smell of commerce.

The hilt may be firmly fixed, but it would be easy to remove if necessary, however, since it is firm it is likely that way because of damar, rather than araldite---at least I'd like to think so-- my remarks were a suggestion that it be left like that.

Gavin, unless we know that a keris was collected in a certain place, and that all components are stylisticly correct for that place, it is very often quite difficult to say that keris from areas outside the major classifications originated in such and such a place. I have had many keris with excellent provenance dating back in some cases more than 100 years, referred to me for identification. Often these keris will be a mix of parts from various places, periods and styles. Once you move away from a kraton influenced area it seems that people have always grabbed whatever they could to mount their keris. I recently obtained a really beautiful keris in a broken Solo gayaman, the blade was South Sumatra gonjo iras, the hilt was textbook Bugis, the pendongkok was textbook Palembang. It was collected in Sumatra in approximately 1880.

To me, this keris looks Peninsula because of the blade cross section, standard of workmanship, and material; the wrongko looks like a coastal area of maybe North Sumatra, but really, I know diddley squat about these sort of keris. If somebody else says different and can give cogent reasons I'll believe them.

11th January 2008, 11:21 PM	#10
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,015	Gavin old mate, we don't don't talk about the filthy lucre in this place. No mention of money, valuations. commercial opinions, or even the barest hint of anything that might smell of commerce. The hilt may be firmly fixed, but it would be easy to remove if necessary, however, since it is firm it is likely that way because of damar, rather than araldite---at least I'd like to think so-- my remarks were a suggestion that it be left like that. Gavin, unless we know that a keris was collected in a certain place, and that all components are stylisticly correct for that place, it is very often quite difficult to say that keris from areas outside the major classifications originated in such and such a place. I have had many keris with excellent provenance dating back in some cases more than 100 years, referred to me for identification. Often these keris will be a mix of parts from various places, periods and styles. Once you move away from a kraton influenced area it seems that people have always grabbed whatever they could to mount their keris. I recently obtained a really beautiful keris in a broken Solo gayaman, the blade was South Sumatra gonjo iras, the hilt was textbook Bugis, the pendongkok was textbook Palembang. It was collected in Sumatra in approximately 1880. To me, this keris looks Peninsula because of the blade cross section, standard of workmanship, and material; the wrongko looks like a coastal area of maybe North Sumatra, but really, I know diddley squat about these sort of keris. If somebody else says different and can give cogent reasons I'll believe them.