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#1 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 10
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Hello everyone I'm new here.
I've recently acquired a keris and I'm seeking some opinions on it. Having never owned one before I don't know much about it. I can't find any with a similar handle so I'm not sure that is correct. Hopefully someone can give me some information, I have done a bit of reading and there are so many variations it must take years of experience to be able to accurately identify one of these, they truly are a fascinating subject. I have attached some photos of the keris in question. Thanks. |
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#2 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Italy
Posts: 928
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The old hilt seems to come from true tribal Art...never i have seen together a keris before. Nice old dress
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#3 |
Member
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sydney, Australia
Posts: 280
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Welcome elsquibble, glad you found your way here.
When I saw this on another forum I was quite thrown by both handle and blade. Riau or Bugis came to mind when it came to the sheath. As for the blade, the blumbangan looked oddly wide/big to my eye and the gusen (angled edges) looked inconsistent in a way that I haven't seen before. Would be interested to hear other opinions about this one. |
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#4 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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I’m with Marco: Nice scabbard!
The hilt most certainly is a non-traditional concoction. This should be easy to replace. The blade deserves a thorough cleaning. It originally was a straight blade that got altered by stock removal to become somewhat undulated - if this was done by any Indonesian, he (or she) should be exiled! Sorry for the bad news. If you hide the blade in the (cleaned) scabbard and get a suitable hilt+pendokok (search for Bugis on this forum and especially look for pieces with very similar scabbards), this still will make a nice display. Don’t worry, most of us have done worse with our first keris... ![]() ![]() Regards, Kai |
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#5 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 10
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Not so good then, what do you mean by stock removal Kai? I will give it a clean soon. It looks good hanging on my wall and I suppose that's what matters most
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#6 |
Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Italy
Posts: 928
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I wouldn't clean it but only change the handle and, if necessary, the pendok
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#7 | ||
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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Quote:
Regards, Kai |
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#8 | |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Regards |
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#9 |
Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,252
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Hello Jean,
The pics are taken at an angle; only the last 2 pics are more reasonable. I still see a Bugis sepokal blade (the tip is quite dark and in this top half the grinding may also have affected the central panel...). Regards, Kai |
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#10 | |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,100
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#11 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Before agreeing or not, I would like to see a pic of the blade taken at a vertical angle (just above the blade) and without the hilt so that it lies flat on the floor.
Anyway, I don't share Marco's opinion about this blade ![]() Regards |
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#12 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 10
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I will get another photo for you later Jean.I do believe that the center does look straight though but I'll have a look again when I get home.
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#13 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 10
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I've got another couple of photos looking down from above, apologies for the delay I've been very busy. I do think it's straight the whole way down though which is unfortunate.
Does anyone have the faintest idea of why this might have been done? Could it be a repair of a blade with a chip or something? More likely someone thinking they can make it more valuable if it's wavey. ![]() |
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#14 |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,100
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For some reason there are many people who seem to believe that a keris is specifically a wavy blade weapon and perhaps they did believe that converting this to a blade with luks would make it more sellable or valuable. I am afraid that they were wrong and unfortunately ruined what was worn, but serviceable old blade.
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#15 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 10
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It is a shame however at least it still looks good in the scabbard. I am glad I bought it as it has introduced me to the world of the keris, I can certainly see myself buying a few more. One more question, would what is described as a yogyakarta style hilt suit this? Thanks.
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#16 |
Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,740
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Thank you for the pictures and I agree that this blade was probably a straight blade but sepokal type (slightly curved).
As the scabbard is in Bugis Sumatra style, a Bugis style hilt (pistol grip) would be the best choice (see pic). Regards |
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#17 | |
Keris forum moderator
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 7,100
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The one that Jean has shown would be a much more acceptable form, however, for a keris like this that has been irreparably damaged i would not personally invest is an ivory hilt like the one Jean shows. Look for this form in a wooden variety. ![]() ![]() |
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#18 |
Member
Join Date: Feb 2020
Posts: 10
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Thanks I'll keep a look out for a similar hilt.
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