Bali Dress. Bali Blade?

[RobT]

Hi All,

I recently got this Balinese dressed keris but the look of the blade makes me suspect that it’s not from Bali and the blade to sheath fit isn’t really good either. The very slender (about 7/8” [22.22cm] wide) blade is about 14-3/4” (37.5cm) long and has a pronounced ada ada which vanishes into a thickened tip (with chigger bite at the very end). I have taken close-ups of the blade to show the pamor which is the most delicate I have ever seen. Perhaps if the blade were in proper color, the pamor would look bolder? I have also provided side and top views of the ganja area. Hopefully the pictures will be sufficient for a blade ID.
As for the dress, the front of the gandar is a kajoe pelet veneer and the back side had at one time been painted red (which somebody tried very hard to remove). The wranka is also kajoe pelet. I don’t know if the double kendhit on the bondolan hilt is real or a stain. When I got the keris, the hilt was on backwards and there was no uwer. The ensemble is otherwise as found.

Sincerely,
RobT

[David]

I would be fairly comfortable believing this blade is from Bali, though i would be more convinced if i could see it in full stain so that the pamor was revealed.
It is not that unusual for a blade to be adapted to a used sarung.

[kai]

I'm with David and also believe the blade to be proper in a Bali context; also recycling of fittings is not unusual, indeed.

From what I can glean from the pics, also the pamor seems to fit with a Bali origin.

The blade is quite worn and may be older. These often tend to be on the small side of the common size range.

Regards,
Kai

[drdavid]

Make it 3 votes for Bali
DrDavid

[Anthony G.]

Make it 3 votes for Bali
DrDavid


It is a nice Balinese keris alright. Not bad, lucky you :D

[A. G. Maisey]

I'm with everybody else.

[RobT]

Hi All,

Thanks to all who responded. Since the ID is unanimous and unequivocal, there can be no doubt that my suspicions were unfounded. Good to know. As unbelievable as it may seem, I bought the keris at a local flea market where I shop for used tools. When I saw it on the dealer's table, I couldn't believe my eyes.

Sincerely,
RobT

[David]

As unbelievable as it may seem, I bought the keris at a local flea market where I shop for used tools. When I saw it on the dealer's table, I couldn't believe my eyes.
It's funny how that can happen. I have also found a few keris and other SEA blades in some unexpected places. Often the price is right in these situations as well. ;)

[A. G. Maisey]

Back in about 1980 I was in a warung in Pasar Triwindu in Solo, I was looking for stuff to buy, keris, or anything else of interest. They had a basket of junk, stuff that was going to be dumped because it was not worth the time needed to make it saleable.

There was a keris in this basket, a complete keris, but absolutely & completely a mess, the blade was thick with rust and had been twisted into a corkscrew shape and bent as well, it was tied to its wrongko with a bit of twine, the wrongko was deeply covered in filth and it was cracked, pendok bent and twisted.

I picked it up & asked how much, the dealer said;- "That's just rubbish, take it if you want it"

I took it.

I totally restored that keris, which involved taking it back to the forge and straightening it out. It turned out to be a very old, good quality Pajajaran keris, and the wrongko also came up beautifully.

Then there was the time I bought a pre-WWII Joseph Rogers two blade pocket knife with pick & tweezers complete with its plaited belt pouch. I bought this at an antiques fair for $5 --- oh yeah, it had never been sharpened.

If you just look for things often enough you do sometimes get lucky.

RobT got lucky.