Strange engraved Keris blade.

[Athanase]

Hello everybody, I'm just joined the forum.
(Sorry for my english, I'm French).
I'm thirty years old and I collect keris and other Indonesian weapons.

I read this forum for a long time but I decided to join you because I recently bought a very original (antique?) keris.

The warangka is made of a single piece of wood with a pendok in copper alloys.
The mendak seems to be as old as the scabbard and handle.

It's difficult to see the pamor. the pamor draws parallel lines over the entire length of the blade.
The blade is engraved with an elephant ridden by a mahout, a little house and other characters. Both sides of the blade have the same engravings, but the other side is less clear and too complicated to make a picture.

I searched a bit on the internet and I've never seen a similar keris.
I would like to know the name and symbol of this type of blade.
What is the age of the engravings on the blade?

Thank you very much.

[David]

Well that sure is an interesting keris you have there. It is not unheard of to decorate a talismanic keris in this manner, often with figures from the wayang. If you can get a hold of the book Iron Ancestors by Alkema, Grishaaver & Sirag you will find a short chapter on similar blades, though there is very little depth to the information on them there. I have seen more recent attempts of taking old, uninteresting blades and adding new reliefs to them to make them look more interesting, but that doesn't appear to be the case here. Likewise i have seen completely new pieces with such markings that have been artificially aged, but again that doesn't appear to be the case as far as i can tell from your photos. This looks, to my eye at least, to be a legitimately old blade with original markings on it, though i have been fooled before.
I don't think what you are seeing is pamor, but rather the structure of the iron itself. There my be some residual pamor on this blade if it ever had any, but i don't see much sense in an acid wash and warangan treatment.
Can you give us a little more info about it. How long is just the blade itself? Have you removed the hilt yet (it is facing in the wrong direction)? It might be helpful to get a look at the pesi (tang). I also wouldn't mind seeing the front side of the sheath as well as a photo from the top of the blade looking down on the gonjo, perhaps when the hilt is removed. Thanks for showing this.

[Athanase]

The last picture of first message is the picture of auction house.
I oriented the handle in the good direction when I received the keris.
Length of the blade : 35 cm
My camera is in the house of my parents, so I made the following pictures with a phone. There is a lot rust on the pesi.

[Gustav]

It could be an original old one indeed. A very similar one, actually almost identical within smallest details (which could be also suspicious), with the same thick Gonjo, is depicted in van der Hoop, Indonesische Siermotiven, 1949, on pages 119 and 139.

I see a Surya of Majapahit between other symbols. If it isn't a copy, it could be a very old Keris. Thank you for sharing!

[A. G. Maisey]

This type of blade is very infrequently seen these days, but in the 1970's they were not particularly uncommon in markets in Jakarta and Central and East Jawa. During the 1970's I bought a few myself, and I still have a tombak blade with this type of surface ornamentation, that was given to me.

Frequently the relief design is produced by deep acid etching, sometimes -- in the better examples -- the design is carved into the surface. I remember seeing a keris like this in a showcase in the lobby of a hotel in Surabaya in 1974 that had a label advising viewers that it was Erlangga's keris. Erlangga ruled East Jawa from about 1030 to 1050. Decide for yourself if it really was Erlangga's keris.

In respect of the keris under discussion, in form it bears a number of indicators that permit it to be classified as Tuban, the one indicator that is simply not open to debate is the form of the top of the gonjo, which is neither sebit ron nor uceng mati, the buntut urang is cut off square and abruptly. There is no gonjo other than Tuban of this form.

However, if we look at the base of the very substantial pesi and most particularly what we see where that pesi enters the gonjo, we do not see any indication that we are looking at a keris that could have the age of a true Tuban keris, in this case, Tuban of the sub-division Pajajaran.

Similarly, the kembang kacang that in this keris becomes the elephants trunk still shows the square cut at its tip where it folds into proximity with the gandhik, and the ron dha carvings are exceptionally well preserved. Not what we expect in a keris that is +300 years old.

I cannot see if this keris has a slorok (steel core), but even if it does, I think it is almost certain that the outer skin of the blade is good quality wrought iron, not really pamor.

Based upon what I believe I can see in these photographs it is my opinion that this keris was made between 1850 and 1940, and specifically as a base for the carving.

It is not a recent keris, and it is a very well made keris, the surface ornamentation appears to be carved, not etched, but it is not nearly as old as the form would suggest.

[Gustav]

Alan, regarding the base of Pesi where it enters Gonjo -

there is a significant step and the Pesi inside Gonjo is a lot thicker. If the surface at this place wouldn't be so fresh - would this actually be a sign for an old Keris?

[Athanase]

Thank you for the very rich comments.
About pesi, when I removed hilt and mendak I saw that the base of pesi is not rust like the length of pesi or the top of gonjo. (I removed lot of rust before taking picture).
I feel that the basis of pesi was filed to place the mendak.
As Gustav say, I see that the pesi is slightly larger inside the Gonjo.

The clothes of this keris seem old, it is possible to give approximate age depending on the details of mendak, pendok, handle etc.. or the materials used?

[Jean]

Hello Athanase,
Welcome to the forum!
I have no doubt that this blade is old but because of the shiny surface the carved motifs and potential pamor are not very visible. In order to improve the surface look and remove the rust spots, I would advise you to clean the blade by dipping it completely in undiluted vinegar (8°) or 10% citric acid (or a mix of the 2 products) for about 24 h with 2 intermediate brushings, which would not attack the iron/ steel itself. After treating, carefully rinse & dry the blade, and treat it immediately with WD40 for preserving it from future rusting.
Regards

[David]

Thanks for your more in-depth analysis Alan. Precisely why i asked for those additional views.
Can you comment any further on the nature of such keris? Iron Ancestors makes a vague reference on pg. 186 to a small Bali keris with wayang carvings that was used to make holy water for the Odalam festival. I have no way of verifying such a statement. Obvious as we move more into later era creation such keris are likely created more as art objects, but considering this one seems to be at least pre-WWII is it at all likely it was created for some specific ritual purpose?

[Athanase]

On the internet I saw this keris which is similar :

http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/21837

[A. G. Maisey]

Gustav, there are several things that have caught my attention with the pesi, and measured against characteristics of blades that I know to be truly old, they just don't fit. The thickness of the pesi base compared to the thickness of the actual pesi itself is not uncommon, but in this keris the shoulder of that thicker section appears to have a radius, which indicates extreme attention to detail and something I cannot recall ever having seen previously. Additionally, the tip of the pesi appears to have a very slight swelling, not something that is common in very old blades. In short, this pesi does not strike me as having the appearance of something that I would expect to see on a really old keris.

It is very obvious that the pesi has been freshly filed for some reason or other, maybe to fit the mendak as suggested by Athanase, and this fresh filing is not a part of my considerations, it could as easily appear in a keris made last week as in one made many years ago.

I actually don't know of any specific "sign" that will indicate an older keris, or the comparative age of any keris. Something that came out of its native society 300 or 400 hundred years ago can look virtually brand new if stored carefully in a European collection.

I have based my opinion on the comparison of this keris with the many other keris I have seen over the years, especially comparison with keris of a similar style. Bear this in mind: stylistically this keris is Tuban. Tuban was a trading port, it was not a kraton, and keris from the hinterland and from the north coast were taken to Tuban for sale and for export. This keris has been made to satisfy a market demand, not to conform with the dictates of a royally approved style. I also cannot forget the many keris of this type that I saw with dealers in Jawa during the 1970's, and the virtual disappearance of this style in the market-place at the present time.

However, above all I must emphasise that my opinion could change if I handled this object:-

"--- Based upon what I believe I can see in these photographs ---"

David, I cannot answer your question, because I do not know of any specific talismanic associations with this style of keris. I do know that many people who were and are not a part of the Javanese keris world, but who do have a strong belief in the esoteric character of the keris have a strong belief in the protective value of this type of blade, both keris and tombak. So, yes, possibly there was some intent that a keris like this might have been intended as a talisman, but no reliable informant has ever told me this.

Athanase, as Jean has suggested, a light etch with a mild acid will give you an indication of the nature of the outer skin of the blade, however, it would be cautious to paint the blade with a slurry of bicarbonate of soda and let it stand for a few minutes after your initial rinse, and before drying and applying WD40.
The wrongko and mendak on this keris are typical of the period 1850 - 1940. Neither are what we would expect to see as original on a keris predating 1800.

[Gustav]

Thank you Alan.

Regarding Erlangga's Keris, there of course is Kyai Arjunawiwoho, whose attribution could have created such "offshots". This is perhaps the most famous engraved blade, yet has many characteristics, including the iconographic narrative, which differ completely from this quite homogenous group of three Keris depicted and mentioned in this thread.

[A. G. Maisey]

Gustav, my mention of the 1974 Surabaya keris was intended to demonstrate the somewhat flexible nature of perceived reality that one continually encounters in Jawa, it had somewhere between nothing and very little to do with the keris under discussion, other than that both the Surabaya keris and Athanase's keris had the same form of ornamentation.

Edit

Actually Gustav, you have me a little bit confused here. I don't really understand what you have written, nor your references.

Could you please clarify?

thanks.

[Gustav]

I am speaking about the Keris Kyai Arjunawiwoho, which, as I understand was in the possession of Pangeran Hardjonagoro. It also was linked with Erlangga.

By the homogenous group of three Kerisses I mean the initial Keris of this thread, one depicted in van der Hoop's book and one from the link Athanase provided, which all have the same iconographic narrative and more or less share the proportions of Ricikan features at the base of blade.

[Athanase]

Thank you for all these details.

I read the description of the auction house. It is specified that keris is from the collection of Emile Andrée (1871 - 1933), a "famous" french Art Nouveau architect from the city of Nancy. I found on internet that has traveled widely between 1894 and 1900 in Sicily, Tunisia, Egypt, Persia and Sri Lanka (but I don't find indications about travel in Indonesia).

[A. G. Maisey]

Thanks for that Gustav.
Yes, Go Tik Swan Penembahan Hardjonagoro (Alm.) did have a keris with carved blade faces, it had earlier belonged to Pangeran Hadiwidjojo (Alm.), but it was nothing at all like Athanase's keris, it was a bethok.

I believe the blade ornamentation had been interpreted as something taken from the Arjunowiwoho. I also believe it was Panembahan Hardjonagoro (Alm.) himself who named this keris K.K. Arjunowiwoho, and in his opinion it was Tangguh Kediri.

I was unaware that this keris had any link to Erlangga, I also did not know that it was a particularly famous keris. Panembahan Hardjonegoro was very, very restrained when it came to permitting people to see or handle his kerises.

However, if we can accept that by classifying a keris as Tangguh Kediri, we have established that the keris in question was actually made in the Kingdom of Kediri, then there is great difficulty in linking Erlangga to K.K. Arjunowiwoho, because Erlangga was the ruler of Kahuripan, which preceded Kediri. But on the other hand, Arjuno Wiwoho was composed by Mpu Kanwa at the direction of Erlangga.

All these associations seem just a wee bit flimsy to me.

So K.K. Arjunowiwoho really does not share any great similarity with Athanases's keris, but perhaps it may be somewhat similar to the Knaud Keris.

The Steinmann keris seems to be quite similar to Athanase's keris, but the keris in the Met, (link post 10) is more than a little difficult to link to Athanase's keris.

The keris in van der Hoop is similar in form to Athanase's keris, and may well be able to be classified as of the same or a related origin.

I cannot see the ornamentation of Athanase's keris well enough to be able compare it with the Steinmann keris, nor with the van der Hoop keris, and I've forgotten exactly what the ornamentation on K.K. Arjunowiwoho looked like. I only saw it once, very briefly.

This particular type of keris is not rare. I've owned several myself, not particularly good or old ones, and sold long ago. They were still being made in the 19th and early twentieth century; they were still being made after 1946; they are still being made today.

This type of blade ornamentation is not limited to only keris, it also occurs on tombaks and pedangs, in the Musium Radyo Pustoko in Solo there is even a peculiar little knife that has a blade engraved with designs.

Athanase's keris is a nice keris, it does have some age, but for myself, that's about as far as I'm prepared to go. From photos, and in the physical absence of all the kerises mentioned, I really cannot draw any defensible constructs of similarity, apart from what I have already mentioned, and what I regard as similarity there is based on form only.

Note:- The Arjunowiwoho (or Arjunawiwaha) was written by Mpu Kanwa under the direction of Sri Maharaja Rakai Halu Sri Dharmawangsa Airlangga Anantawikramottunggadewa, popularly known as Erlangga, the ruler of Kahuripan from about 1010 to about 1043. It is a Kekawin that tells the story of one of the Pandhawas, Arjuno, who fights for the Gods against the demon king Niwatakawaca.

The photo is of the van der Hoop keris, plus a couple of other similarly ornamented blades.

[Gustav]

There is an article by Toni Junus about Kyai Arjunawiwoho and a (not so good) depiction of it in "Pamor", November-January 2010.

[A. G. Maisey]

I haven't read it Gustav.

I do have a few copies of Pamor, and the other magazine --- was it "Keris"? --- but I never subscribed to them. Didn't like either of them much, but when they were being published, I'd buy whatever was on sale when I was in Solo.

[Gustav]

Me too. Its actually the only one exemplar I own.

[A. G. Maisey]

I assume its in Indonesian?

If you care to send me a photo of it to my aol email address I give you a precis of what he says.