Spirit Cage [revisited]

[Bill M]

I had posted this earlier and tried to delete that post. However the keris keeps coming back in my mind and I am reposting. Please excuse my redundancy.

Not sure what this is. It was called a "Spirit Cage" A tombak is in the center. Keris is shown to show size. It has traces of kineta.

I am very curious about this. It does have a "presence" a sense of some kind of strange power. Not good, nor bad, just powerful.

I think it is called a bethok krawangan keris, with a fixed menur tombak inside. It does not rattle. My description may be incorrect and would appreciate your opinions.

The handle and scabbard is rough.

If there is interest, I will try to get better detail images, possibly lighting from the other side to see the tombak better.

[kai]

Hello Bill,

This has me dumbfounded and others as well, I guess. While it may not be my cup of tea, the displayed skill and patience is certainly impressive.

I assume the tombak inside does not carry a methuk but rather the methuk/mendak on the outside is used to tightly fix the ensemble, isn't it?

Did you got any provenance or other info with it?

Regards,
Kai

[David]

Bill, my feeling about this is that it is just lovely, but i can't figure our whether this piece serves a deeper spiritual function worthy of the name "spirit cage" or if it's just beautiful for beauty's sake. Either way is a justifiable reason for being. :)

Addendum: I don't get the feeling it is particularly old though. Which makes me wonder about the worn away kinatah look. That can be a popular dealer technique to make a newer keris look old. Or maybe it's just a way to save on gold coasts. ;)
Either way it does make me wonder what a creation like this would look like in full stain and completely in kinatah as seems to be the original intention of the design.

[kai]

Hello Bill,

I'm with David - very likely originates from Karmadikan times.

It certainly focuses on the artistic side of things with the whole gandik as well as the gonjo hollowed out which is quite a feat to achieve!

Can you tell if the tombak inside was made to fit or whether it is an older blade?

Regards,
Kai

[Bill M]

Not sure where or from whom I got it, but they called it a Spirit Cage. Does seem well-done and has a strange 'presence.'

A "Indonesian" friend has one similar and he calls it "betok" thinks it came from Bali. Now lives in Amsterdam.

I have permission to show the blade, but no permission to show faces and blanked them out

[Rick]

It looks huge! :eek:
Your's is a much smaller example, Bill, yes?

[kai]

Hello Bill,

Does it also have a tombak inside?

And what seems to poke through the gandik?

Regards,
Kai

[Bill M]

I don't know more about the other "bethok." He is sending me more pictures and a write up.