Part of a Keris Sheath?

[scotchleaf]

I found this in an antique/junk shop in Maine: Looks like the top of a Keris sheath. What can you tell me about it's age, whether it was made for tourists, etc?
http://i.imgur.com/VIkPhp0.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/Klwl6HK.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/ooo10VC.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/g96fjXj.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jr0QdAS.jpg

[Battara]

This is the wranga part of a Balinese scabbard. In fact, this belongs to a more recently made Balinese scabbard.

[scotchleaf]

This is the wranga part of a Balinese scabbard. In fact, this belongs to a more recently made Balinese scabbard.

Thanks for the info.

How old would you think it is? Who/what is the face carved into the wranga?

I can tell you that just cutting the hole was skilled and difficult work (from making my own knife handles) and the carving appears to have been executed well. Was $28 too much to pay?

[Sajen]

Jose is correct, it is the cross piece of a Bali scabbard of more recent date. This scabbards are made for tourists. Look for example here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=17837&highlight=bali+tourist

Regards,
Detlef

[Sajen]

How old would you think it is?

Not before 1970 would be my guess.

[Sajen]

Was $28 too much to pay?

Sorry, we don't discuss prices here open in the forum. There are better ones on the market but a lot more of worse ones. When the carving meet your taste and you like it; all is good and ok! :) ;)

[Battara]

Who/what is the face carved into the wranga?
You are certainly welcome. Sajen is correct in that we do not give appraisals on this forum, although you are welcome to contact members privately.

Detlef also has a good point on age.

As far as the face is concerned, I believe it is the Balinese forrest god Banaspati.

[scotchleaf]

Thanks all! I found this in a box on the floor of this shop in Maine, which you wouldn't think of as deliberately passing tourist items. I guess I'm paying for education, but I do like it as an unusual carving.

By the way, if you are into old tools, Liberty Tool is great.





http://www.pressherald.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/20140504_746506.xml-20140503_liberty+tool_1.jpg

[A. G. Maisey]

I suggest that the seller would not have recognised that this carving was a part of something that collectors of keris like to refer to as a "tourist" item. In any case, it is fairly recent Balinese craft work, whatever we call it.

In the Balinese context it would be preferable to regard this as a representation of Bhoma, rather than Banaspati:-

"--- Bhoma, sometimes called Kala, is a representation of the son of Wisnu and Basundari, and thus is the child of water and earth. The joining of water and earth results in the growth of plants, which in a society dependent upon agriculture equates to prosperity. In Sanscrit, Bhoma means "born of the earth".
Thus Bhoma can be taken to represent the growth of vegetation.---"

[Battara]

Thank you Alan. Very helpful. So Banaspati is not as popular as Bhoma, and thus most of the time then it is actually Bhoma.

Thanks.

[A. G. Maisey]

In Bali Banaspati and Banaspati Raja are associated with the Kanda Mpat, the spirits associated with the human body. This is a relatively complex area of Balinese belief and here is not the place to go into the subject further, I think that there should be a fair bit available online these days, and maybe if you ask Dr. Google, he might be able to give you some references. If Eisemann is available, he's a good and simple source.

Bhoma is the bloke that we see over temple doorways. When he is associated with keris, it is as a protective element. If we think of the opening of the keris scabbard as a doorway, the inclusion of bhoma into this decorative motif is exactly in line with the tradition of placing Bhoma over a doorway.

But this lay usage of the Bhoma symbol can detract from and weaken the religious meaning. For instance, in Bali now we can see these Bhomas everywhere, over doorways into shops, commercial institutions, and at crossroads --- all over the place, and this profusion can weaken the religious power, not increase it. There is a relationship between Bhoma and Banaspati, but this is something that requires lengthy and involved study to understand and it is open to a number of interpretations, not all of which necessarily apply to Bali.

In Bali Bhoma can be referred to as Banaspatiraja, in this context is representative of trees. However, as noted above, Banaspati Raja is one of the Kanda Mpat, so when we see this head as a protective motif, it should be Bhoma, rather than Banaspatiraja. Bhoma is also sometimes named Kala.

Sorry if all this sounds a bit confusing, but it is not straightforward and easy to understand Balinese beliefs, you need to consider a multitude of things at the same time and to consider at different levels and from different perspectives. Even then it is not possible for everybody to understand everything, as some knowledge is not available to ordinary people.

Here is another image of Bhoma, at the entrance to Goa Gajah in Bali.

[Battara]

W :eek: W!

As one who has a second masters in world religions, I appreciate the complexities that go into any particular belief system and very little is truly easy and straightforward.

Thank you for your knowledge and insight Alan. This helps me tremendously and I have a better understanding of this motif. :D