20th October 2013, 10:08 PM | #1 |
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Unusual planar keris handles
Over the years I have collected some unusual and rare planar keris handles. I will show them in this thread time by time. Hope others will do the same. I hope that I will get by some further informations of origin.
I will start with a big bulky handle in the general shape of a Solo handle. The patras are carved in an unusual way. My guess that this handle is from East Java but I can be wrong by this. Every information about this handle is very welcome. |
20th October 2013, 10:19 PM | #2 |
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The second one is so far I know a handle from Kartasura and called cateng. Kartasura was the capital of the Sultanate of Mataram between 1680-1755.
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20th October 2013, 10:37 PM | #3 |
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I want to finish for the moment with this recent carved Yogya handle of unusual form.
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21st October 2013, 09:13 AM | #4 | |
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Interesting old hilt outside the Central Java pakem and I would also attribute it to East Java. Regards |
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21st October 2013, 09:19 AM | #5 |
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I recently acquired this planar hilt made from cast brass on a resin base and without patras and I wonder about its origin. It seems to have age and has few defects on the top side.
Regards |
21st October 2013, 10:41 AM | #6 | |
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Hi Jean, interesting hilt! I think I have seen similar wooden hilts. Regards, Detlef |
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21st October 2013, 01:48 PM | #7 | |
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Thanks, there is a relatively similar wooden hilt shown in Tammens Volume 3 page 190 and attributed to the Gayo of Northern Sumatra (Bawar hilt) but the base is quite different. I got it with a blade and a damaged warangka which may originate from Northern/ West Java so this is one possible origin. Regards |
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21st October 2013, 05:09 PM | #8 |
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Here a Solo hilt with unusual carved lower patra.
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21st October 2013, 05:14 PM | #9 |
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Here a hilt I have shown in an other thread before. Silver sheet over resin, beautiful chased.
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21st October 2013, 05:18 PM | #10 |
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And here a possible Yogya handle carved from akar bahar.
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22nd October 2013, 08:56 AM | #11 | |
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Very nice and peculiar hilt, the overall shape is in Nunggak Semi style from Yogya indeed but because of the carvings and filigree selut (recent?) I would rather attribute its origin to East Java , other opinions are welcome. Regards |
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22nd October 2013, 10:48 AM | #12 | |
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I doubt, the material is akar bahar, the surface seems to be quite porous in the first picture. I also think, such detailed carvings are not possible on akar bahar, becouse it is very hard and brittle. |
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22nd October 2013, 12:10 PM | #13 | |
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22nd October 2013, 05:56 PM | #14 |
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Hello Jean,
thank you. I doubt that the handle is from East Java, Gustav and Chandra may be correct with the Cirebon origin. And you are correct, the selut is recent. Hello Gustav, thank you for the hint to the Cirebon origin. I am very unsure about the used material. But the material isn't porous but chinky. And have a look to the last two pictures in down of the carved area, it look a little bit like burned plastic, maybe a sign for horn. Hello Chandra, thank you as well. You give the second vote for Cirebon. Like written in up, I am very unsure about the material. The colour is like akar bahar or like reddish horn but could be wood as well. Regards, Detlef |
23rd October 2013, 03:52 AM | #15 |
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Very old buffalo horn may look dry/lost of luster and show small cracks like this so if its unlike wood it may be buffalo horn, akar bahar is not likely as pointed out by Gustav.
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25th October 2013, 09:30 AM | #16 | |
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Regards |
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29th October 2013, 05:13 PM | #17 |
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another pic of an old cirebon handle with clouds pattern on the base
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29th October 2013, 05:15 PM | #18 |
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another unusual hilt
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29th October 2013, 06:08 PM | #19 | |
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Hello Marco, thank you very much for showing this example, the carvings in up resembles indeed the carvings of my hilt at the same area. Regards, Detlef |
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29th October 2013, 06:11 PM | #20 | |
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29th October 2013, 10:01 PM | #21 |
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I've got quite a few planar hilts that I'd like to post to this thread, but at the moment I don't have time to do the pics.
Here is one that I do already have an image of. New, sawo, cecekan krawangan, dikruwing. |
29th October 2013, 10:04 PM | #22 |
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Oh yes, I almost forgot.
In respect of these hilts with motifs that can be interpreted as cloud motifs, may I suggest that Pekalongan is more likely as point of origin than Cirebon. If I am correct in this possibility, it is also possible that these hilts, were made on the order of an ethnic Chinese person, rather than an ethnic Javanese. |
30th October 2013, 12:51 AM | #23 | |
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Nice hilt Alan, please can you explain "dikruwing"? |
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30th October 2013, 12:55 AM | #24 | |
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Regards, Detlef Last edited by Sajen; 30th October 2013 at 11:11 AM. |
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30th October 2013, 12:59 AM | #25 |
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Not purely planar but I think this hilt fit in this thread.
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30th October 2013, 03:49 AM | #26 |
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If you look carefully at the planes on the hilt I posted, you will see that these planes are not flat planes at all, but curved. This curved effect is called "kruwingan", because it has already been done the planes are now "dikruwing". Strictly speaking this word should only be used to describe this type of work in metal, for instance, in a keris the gulo milir is kruwingan work, but it is acceptable to use it to describe the same type of work in other mediums.
Regarding age of the hilts. I think you mean Mataram era? Frankly I have no idea at all how old they are. Bearing in mind how quickly materials deteriorate in Jawa they could be 19th century if they left Jawa within the last 50 years or so. The Mataram era is a pretty elastic description since the House of Mataram is still in power in both Solo and Jogja. |
30th October 2013, 11:21 AM | #27 | |
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thank you for explanation. And yes, I have meant "era"! Regards, Detlef |
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5th November 2013, 01:36 PM | #28 |
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I already showed this one I think but it is one of my favourites
Regards |
5th November 2013, 04:16 PM | #29 |
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Oh Jean, i do so love this hilt. Thanks for showing it again. I think that even though this has clearly been carved out a a planar mold, so much figural carving has been done that we cannot call it a planar hilt anymore. It defies the very definition of planar. Still awfully beautiful though...
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6th November 2013, 09:01 AM | #30 |
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Thanks David and yes, the planes on the front side have disappeared!
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