Lombok artisan works

[Anthony G.]

Since I am working from home (WFH) and away from James Bond (Boss) prying eye, I would like to show off this handicraft art done by a local village craftsman from Lombok. I am not sure the right English word to use, so i used knitting.

Enjoy.

[Battara]

Glad to see that great work is still being done.

[Jean]

Very impressive, can you show us the whole scabbard?
Regards

[Anthony G.]

Hi Jean, here you go..........

[mariusgmioc]

Wow!
Thank you for sharing! :)

Is it made of gold band?

[Anthony G.]

Wow!
Thank you for sharing! :)

Is it made of gold band?

no.

[Rick]

I think woven was the word you were looking for A.G.
This is woven using very fine wire?

[Jean]

It uses narrow and very thin strips of silver (or gold or brass) I think, as for this gerantim hilt also made by a Lombok master craftsman.
Regards

[Anthony G.]

It uses narrow and very thin strips of silver (or gold or brass) I think, as for this gerantim hilt also made by a Lombok master craftsman.
Regards

beautiful...........Yes, I got one similar piece as well.

[Anthony G.]

I think woven was the word you were looking for A.G.
This is woven using very fine wire?

Thanks Rick. Finally, yes; woven is the right word. fine wire..........

[David]

Very nice work Anthony, though i have generally seen this woven wire work (nice alliteration there ;) ) done only on hilts like the one Jean shows and not on pendok. Still, very well done though. The wood on this sarong is also lovely.

[Anthony G.]

Thank you, David. The wood is burl wood and the hilt design is totally left to my good friend to come up with the concept and idea, a bit not traditional thou. I try not to sway too far away from tradition, design maybe can stick to old but for material, i try to experience using new type of material such as burl wood for handle, warangka etc.

[David]

Thank you, David. The wood is burl wood and the hilt design is totally left to my good friend to come up with the concept and idea, a bit not traditional thou. I try not to sway too far away from tradition, design maybe can stick to old but for material, i try to experience using new type of material such as burl wood for handle, warangka etc.
To be honest, i cannot say i am particularly found of the hilt design you chose, but this is, of course, all a matter of personal taste. It all appears to be nicely done.
Is all the metal work gold, or gold-plate or something else?

[A. G. Maisey]

Anthony, I think you will find that the wood is burl teak (jati gembol), it is a wood that has been used for a long time for wrongkos & also for hilts. When they were clearing the forests in Borneo there was a lot of it around, but in recent years it has become very hard to get. About ten or twelve years ago I had an order in for over two years to get two pieces of jati gembol big enough for ladrangan atasans.

EDIT

Here is an example of a different type of burl, this is thuya burl from Morocco.

EDIT 2

When this wrongko was made, back around 1990, thuya burl was very difficult to get hold of and quite expensive. I just did a quick search and found that it now is a bit easier to obtain, but still not cheap:-

https://www.cookwoods.com/collections/thuya-burl

[Anthony G.]

To be honest, i cannot say i am particularly found of the hilt design you chose, but this is, of course, all a matter of personal taste. It all appears to be nicely done.
Is all the metal work gold, or gold-plate or something else?

Gold plating. I am the kind of person who focus on quality of bilah more.

[Anthony G.]

Anthony, I think you will find that the wood is burl teak (jati gembol), it is a wood that has been used for a long time for wrongkos & also for hilts. When they were clearing the forests in Borneo there was a lot of it around, but in recent years it has become very hard to get. About ten or twelve years ago I had an order in for over two years to get two pieces of jati gembol big enough for ladrangan atasans.

EDIT

Here is an example of a different type of burl, this is thuya burl from Morocco.

EDIT 2

When this wrongko was made, back around 1990, thuya burl was very difficult to get hold of and quite expensive. I just did a quick search and found that it now is a bit easier to obtain, but still not cheap:-

https://www.cookwoods.com/collections/thuya-burl

Dear Alan, the grain and wave is beautiful. Thanks for sharing this awesome piece.

[A. G. Maisey]

Here is another nice piece of burl, teak burl this time (jati gembol)

[Anthony G.]

Here is another nice piece of burl, teak burl this time (jati gembol)

it is simple beautiful. Even Nihonto and Chinese weapons cannot compare to the materials use to make a keris.

[Mickey the Finn]

it is simple beautiful. Even Nihonto and Chinese weapons cannot compare to the materials use to make a keris.
Mr. G, the Nihonto and the "Chinese weapons" of which you speak have never held any particular appeal for me, and, although the extent of my knowledge about them might possibly exceed that of the "man on the street" in Anytown, U.S.A, it's still next to nothing. To my unlearned and undiscerning eye, those Japanese swords in particular "all look the same". Much the same with Oakeshott's European swords. I'd be at a loss to distinguish a Napoleonic AN IX hussar sabre from an AN XI or that Russian sabre that looks like it was copied from one or the other.
I once mistook the Montenegrin Chef de protocole for a German V.I.P. protection agent based on her purposeful stride in her flat-soled shoes, the aggressive manner in which she gripped her handbag, and her "unmistakably Germanic appearance".
The Chantilly-Tiffanie can never be mistaken for a Nebelung, or an Oriental Longhair. Give me an audio recording of the vocalizations of the three cats, and, so long as all three cats are queens, I'll distinguish the Chantilly-Tiffanie sight unseen.
I must say I do agree with what I think is the general spirit of your statement. I do suspect, however, that only my ignorance of "the others" may be the real reason I agree with it so readily.
I was once told by a man who had lived in Merka, that Merkans believe wholeheartedly that Merka is the greatest country in the world because they've never lived anywhere else, nor do they know anything about anywhere else; and why on earth would they want to?

[Anthony G.]

Mr. G, the Nihonto and the "Chinese weapons" of which you speak have never held any particular appeal for me, and, although the extent of my knowledge about them might possibly exceed that of the "man on the street" in Anytown, U.S.A, it's still next to nothing. To my unlearned and undiscerning eye, those Japanese swords in particular "all look the same". Much the same with Oakeshott's European swords. I'd be at a loss to distinguish a Napoleonic AN IX hussar sabre from an AN XI or that Russian sabre that looks like it was copied from one or the other.
I once mistook the Montenegrin Chef de protocole for a German V.I.P. protection agent based on her purposeful stride in her flat-soled shoes, the aggressive manner in which she gripped her handbag, and her "unmistakably Germanic appearance".
The Chantilly-Tiffanie can never be mistaken for a Nebelung, or an Oriental Longhair. Give me an audio recording of the vocalizations of the three cats, and, so long as all three cats are queens, I'll distinguish the Chantilly-Tiffanie sight unseen.
I must say I do agree with what I think is the general spirit of your statement. I do suspect, however, that only my ignorance of "the others" may be the real reason I agree with it so readily.
I was once told by a man who had lived in Merka, that Merkans believe wholeheartedly that Merka is the greatest country in the world because they've never lived anywhere else, nor do they know anything about anywhere else; and why on earth would they want to?


The cultures of many always reflect in their art, food and even to extent, weapons. I admit that the keris has truly reflects the complex culture of the people who inherits it.