Shadow Keris

[David]

OK, just for fun because things seem a bit slow around here, a bi-product of my Halloween lighting for my party. I walked out of my study into the hallway and thought, oh look, that's kind of interesting. So i pulled out the camera for a shot. Most of my friends wouldn't recognize this shadow, but i would imagine that would be different here...
Too bad i don't know enough to write a book on the subject. This might make a nice cover.

[A. G. Maisey]

Love it!

All you need now is the content.

[drdavid]

Great shot David, an excellent bookcover.
drd

[David]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Love it!

All you need now is the content.

Well Alan, you know, let me know if you ever write that book that you swear you will never write ....or it could even work for a magazine article title page i suppose...
Have camera, will work for keris....

[BluErf]

Great shot! And about time someone writes something more, even if it is a coffee-table book, about Malay kerises.

[David]

Well i'm sure that some of you might be wondering just what it is that creates such a beautiful shadow...
....and Kai Wee, i'd say if anyone here has access to beautiful Malay keris worthy of a nice "pin-up" coffee table book it's you...I'll have my agent call your agent and well do lunch...

[tunggulametung]

Can we please see the blade so that it's not againts forum rule of controversial post? (and make sure it's not the shadow this time so it won't draw further speculation ).

Somebody please do a good reference book of keris Melayu.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by David

Well i'm sure that some of you might be wondering just what it is that creates such a beautiful shadow...
....

Beautiful fittings.. looks like a piece from Kedah. If you don't mind David, can we see the blade..

[David]

Well, i sure got myself into a bind this time, didn't i.
As i am sure some of you know it is not generally my practice to show my blades on the internet for numerous reasons, some practical, some personal. But it is also not my intention to be a tease either, so since i have raised the interest level of my own accord i suppose it wouldn't be fair of me not to give you all a bit of a viewing, especially given the relevance of this blade to Kai Wee's concurrent Carita thread.

[BluErf]

Killer beauty! the lines are so sharp that looking at it can cut...

[Alam Shah]

Aweee.. David *drooling*, what a beauty.. very nice well-constructed piece indeed.. There's some age to it but imho, haven't reach antique status yet..

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by BluErf

Great shot! And about time someone writes something more, even if it is a coffee-table book, about Malay kerises.

I'm in progress of writing.. still in the early stages but do need assistance and more inputs.. anyone who is willing to contribute can contact me at my email address..

[tunggulametung]

Outstanding piece!

On the positive side about the age (assuming it is not an antique, yet, whatever), it is good too see that such level of crafmentship is still available from contemporary artists.

@ Alam, as I nowhere understand keris Melayu I might not be able to contribute on the material side but let see if I can list some 'expected points' from the view of somebody who wish to learn, I will surely be in touch. I wish the writing progressing well.

[Gustav]

I probably wouldn't call this Keris contemporary (if contemporary means the last 20 or 30 years). I am very curios if David could tell us something more about it.

[Sajen]

David, congratulations to this keris, equal if contemporary or old, just beautiful!

[David]

Not sure what more i can tell anyone Gustav. I pretty much lucked into this keris shooting a collection of weapons that someone in my area was trying to get rid off. JHe needed images for internet sales. He had a number of keris and i got some in exchange for the work and also bought others at some good prices. I have many more Java/Bali keris in my collection so the Malay pieces are more a mystery to me, but i do know quality when i see it.
As for age i wouldn't call this contemporary either, though i also would question if it is 100 years old. So i might call it "old", but not yet antique. It shows some age,patina and slight pitting and the I have always thought that pre-WW2 was a good assessment, but i might be wrong.

[BluErf]

I agree that this keris is not contemporary. The smiths in Malaysia has lost the ability to produce anything even close to this now. It's a beautiful keris, and age is one thing we cannot fault it on; it will age nicely.

[Alam Shah]

Originally Posted by BluErf

I agree that this keris is not contemporary. The smiths in Malaysia has lost the ability to produce anything even close to this now. It's a beautiful keris, and age is one thing we cannot fault it on; it will age nicely.

Prior to contrary belief, it is not true Kai Wee. Through WW2 smiths in Pattani did continue keris production in remote regions, although in smaller scale.. slowed down during WW2 but increased production since.. info from various sources.

[BluErf]

I see new kerises from the North, but they are just KLOs made with power tools from metal blanks. Haven't seen a really good quality new keris from the area yet. If there are, I would be most happy for the future of Malay kerises!

[laEspadaAncha]

Don't spend too much time in this forum, but the thread title intrigued me. David, that's one stunning photograph and you are correct in that it would make for an eye-catching cover.

[David]

Originally Posted by laEspadaAncha

Don't spend too much time in this forum, but the thread title intrigued me. David, that's one stunning photograph and you are correct in that it would make for an eye-catching cover.

Thanks, a compliment much appreciated...

[PenangsangII]

Originally Posted by BluErf

I see new kerises from the North, but they are just KLOs made with power tools from metal blanks. Haven't seen a really good quality new keris from the area yet. If there are, I would be most happy for the future of Malay kerises!

I cant agree more.

In recent years, due to exposure from electronic media, the interest on keris has improved tremendously, but this supposedly good development also had invited unscrupulous makers and dealers alike. Thus the KLOs are flooding the Malaysian keris market.

[tunggulametung]

But I saw on social networking sites/blog many keris enthusiast which is likely from Singapore/Malaysia sometime post really nice contemporary Keris Semenanjung

As for power tools, we really have to compromise (more result oriented). I know in the ideal world it is nice to know that our collection is fully handcrafted but for today economy it is difficult for the artist to survive just to rely on fully handcrafted piece of art which take longer to accomplish not to mention for example good day to work, pauses between work, ideal work hour etc etc if we are to follow the traditional path. Moreover, values and the planet and it's surrounding which the artist live is rapidly changing, so his need and inspiration. They understand that collectors are mostly towards antique pieces/pay good money for antique, which is one of the contra-productive aspect on contemporary art. Who knows that in earlier few centuries things are the other way around. I agree about degradation of skill, but someone with good knowledge/basic skill on how to make one item only need to see enough examples and stimulus/support to achieve better quality piece of art. But most of their time are not spent on study, so I guess it is our responsibility on approaching and passing this. Let us ask our self for example how many time we commissioned new keris or it's fittings directly to the artist? Well not so many artist around and geographical barrier as well as amount to pay for newly commissioned job will likely exceed what we are willing to pay. In 21st century mostly anything are ready to wear. How many time we are today into buying fabric and bring it to tailor? Ready to wear clothing are abundance in the market, more selection and affordable. If we are commissioning a new work, we cannot see how it like until it finish, the result might be disappointing and we are rarely into buying this risk.

Just my two rupiahs...

[tunggulametung]

(Without experience, enough skill and proper tools) I once decided to make my own buntut without power tools which can be commissioned for small amount of money and will likely be done in one or two days, almost surely with power tools. At first I can't stop doing it because like what many artist has gone trough I guess, the semangat, the more powerful spirit is working and my hands are nothing but medium, but then... this job has take long hour and I tell you it hurt your palm , I put it aside looking for better days to continue (excuses). Looks not a prime material, should I cut another part of the horn and start all over again?

[A. G. Maisey]

Tunnggulametung is right.

Handwork takes time.

Working with all traditional hand tools, it will take a skilled craftsman about 100 to 115 hours to carve a blade of simple dhapur that carries pamor.

That equates to about 12 to 14 eight hour days.

If the skilled craftsman uses power tools the time used decreases dramatically and can drop to only around three days, or even less.

Then there is the forge work.

If good quality modern mild steel is used and commercially produced nickel, or some other modern, clean contrasting material, no washing of the material is required, ie, repeated welding and folding to remove impurities.

Working with one striker and a forge of European design, and starting from scratch, a competent smith can produce a forging to carve a keris from in under two 8 hour days. That forging would have a random mlumah pamor and would be for a straight keris.

However, if the material is wrought iron, and meteorite, or some other material that requires extensive cleaning before use, if the forge is of traditional Javanese/Balinese design, if the pamor is anything other than a simple mlumah motif, the time used multiplies exponentially, and the possibility of failure increases exponentially.

Then there is the cost of teak charcoal, which is expensive, and the cost of tools --- a file only stays sharp for so long.

Now, let us add in the esoteric requirements for a traditional keris, which will involve a number of slametans (offerings) at various stages, and various very strict requirements for how and when the work is carried out.

You could easily be looking at six months for a 100% genuine, traditionally made keris blade.

Who is prepared to pay the cost of six months of a man's life, for a keris blade ?


Even for a blade of simple dhapur and pamor, made with power tools, you are still looking at roughly a week's work for a skilled craftsman to produce a simple keris blade.


Now consider the complete keris.

The wrongkos are always 100% handwork with hand tools.

The jejerans are always 100% handwork with hand tools --- this applies to wood, but if ivory or other hard materials are used, power tools are used in the work.

The mendak is 100% handwork with hand tools.

An embossed pendok is all handwork with punches, and an engraved pendok is engraved with gravers ( like small chisels) and a hammer.

The material for a good quality silver pendok starts as granules that are melted into a small ingot; this ingot is then hammered out to a fan shape prior to being wrapped around a mandrel and the joint silver soldered.

The edge where the joint is made has been left thicker to accept the soldering.

How much thicker? Between five and twelve blows of the hammer --- counted over the three days it takes to forge out the ingot to a fan shape. A good quality silver pendok takes about 5 or 6 days to make, before any engraving or embossing is done.


Yes, "keris like objects" do exist.

In Central Jawa we can find these in stores that sell traditional clothing. The KLO has a blade of flat iron whose only purpose is to hold the very poor quality wrongko and jejeran together.

In Bali we used to be able to find KLO's in the tourist souvenir shops, these also had blades of flat iron, often with an artificially etched pamor pattern, but the wrongkos and handles were very often good quality carvings. I have not seen these Balinese KLO's for many years.


The fact of the matter is that modern keris production in Indonesia is directed at the local market in Indonesia:- low quality modern production fills the ongoing need for local people to own a keris; high quality modern production is directed at the local demand for collectors and connoisseurs of the keris as art, but it fails to fill that demand.

It fails to fill it because the very best work of the very best craftsmen is always insufficient to meet the demand. In fact, the very best work of the very best men is really only available to a very select circle of buyers. It is seldom seen outside a tight circle of connoisseurs and dealers.

In the opinion of many Javanese art connoisseurs, the keris is the highest expression of the Javanese plastic arts.

The original post that generated this post of mine was directed at the situation in Malaysia. I have no knowledge of this situation, and my comments do not relate to Malaysia, they do relate directly to the current situation in Indonesia.

[BluErf]

The traditional way of making a keris blade and the accompanying dress parts does take an immense amount of time and effort! I suppose using power tools and industrial quality metal is acceptable in the making of a modern keris, but then the question is when does the grinding of a piece of metal blank into the shape of a keris turn into proper keris making? I must admit I'm not clear about this myself, but seeing the mass-market new pieces commonly found in the Malay keris market now, they certainly do feel more like KLOs than real new kerises.

Regarding the really good new Malay kerises, Shahrial's recent comments made me sit up and try to take note of what's around. So far, I've only seen 1 example which I would consider as good. Perhaps it would also be useful to post examples of what is considered a good new Malay keris to share that standard. It would also be useful as a yardstick for collectors to know what is the best available out there.

To start that off, I post the following pictures, taken from a fellow Facebook acquaintance's photo album, of the good new Malay keris (apologies, I cannot remember who is the owner of the pictures and the keris). I must clarify that I'm only referring to the blade, and not the fittings.

[BluErf]

To clarify, I'd like to request fellow forumnites who have photos of high quality new Malay kerises to share them (if possible), so that we can have an idea of what is the state of Malay keris making at the higher levels.

[A. G. Maisey]

Yes, Kai Wee, when we are considering a plain black blade that could have been produced by stock removal from a bar of mild steel, I do agree that it might be difficult to decide just exactly where the line is drawn between a "proper" keris and something that looks like a keris.

However, with this type of keris, that same problem was always there.

If you have a blade that has been made from a single piece of material, without a welded-in core there is essentially no difference between such a blade made now, and one made 100 years or more in the past.

None of us question the integrity of an old blade of this type, we appraise it by reference to its artistic beauty and the excellence of its material.

Why should we act any differently when we consider a modern blade of the same type?

Should not exactly the same standards apply?

With such a blade, the time difference between roughing out with an angle grinder, and forging to shape is minimal. In fact, if I were to be asked to make such a blade myself, I would choose to forge to shape, because it would save me time in the long run.

I haven't seen any of these modern Malaysian KLO's, but perhaps we are really talking about keris of low, and even extremely low, quality.

Maybe 5 or 10 years down the track , when these current makers have learnt their trade, there will be a pretty severe problem with forgeries. It would be very, very difficult to gauge the age of a blade that had been well made, but with no core, and that had been skillfully aged.

And as long as some amongst us focus their attention upon the concept of "old", rather than the concept of "excellent" you can bet on it that a lot of these recently produced blades will gain around 100 years of age with the first few weeks after they have been completed.

I rather feel that this matter comes back to knowing and understanding the keris.

If we focus upon art and excellence, there should be no difference at all between old and new.

However, if our focus is upon the history of a culture, or the esoteric content of the keris as a cultural icon, then that focus is necessarily concentrated upon the old, rather than the new.

But such a focus relegates the keris itself to a position which is subordinate to the passing of time.

It all comes back to where our true values lay.

[A. G. Maisey]

Photos of recent, good quality blades would be informative, but what I'd really like to see is photos of what people refer to as keris like objects.

[BluErf]

G'day Alan,

You have articulated the issue very well. The point about where our values lie and how we look at kerises is indeed key to whether we embrace certain types of kerises and reject other types.

In terms of the artistry of a keris, standards shift with time. The older kerises which with 'quiet' controlled grace may look less impressive compared to a flamboyant OTT new keris screaming for attention. And that seems to be the direction that a lot of the newly-made kerises are taking - it needs to 'wow' the viewer in an instance. But maybe 3 months down the road, it doesn't look so good any more. The viewer feels saturated by the overdone features.

And then, there is the issue of practicality. A Malay keris made in the traditional method should stand up to use, at least in an emergency. Newly made kerises are not expected to be used, and many would get dents and dinks on the edges or tip the moment it is brought into contact with something hard, like a stone countertop, for instance. Is this still considered a keris? If a newly made katana is not quenched properly, but has the most beautiful metal grain and form, is it still a katana? I don't know what is the standard that collectors expect of newly made kerises, but would the easily deformed kerises mentioned above be considered true kerises?

So I guess what I've written reflects my personal values I use to assess kerises. Maybe what I consider KLOs are accepted as good solid pieces by others, and I would say maybe I could be wrong in the long run, because in any collecting hobbies, it is what the majority of the collectors want and appreciate that matters, not the quirky/stubborn individual.

About pictures of KLOs. Now that is difficult because I have not thought about keeping any of those as examples. Even if I have, it could be socially suicidal to post them because it would invariably offend some one.