Keris Information Requested
 

Hello,

I was at a gun show over the weekend and ran across a very old-looking and unique-looking knife. I found a post on this forum that had information about a very similar piece and I thought I'd post a few images in hopes to find out more information about this piece in particular. I'd love to know what I have, the history, and if it should be appraised for insurance purposes. I also found another website that mentions that Keris knives may have a spiritual connection and you need to "feed" it's spirit. I don't generally believe in that sort of stuff, but I don't want to infuriate a magical knife :-) Any information on what I have and how to care for it would be greatly appreciated. I saw it and grabbed it since I've never seen anything like this before and thought it would be a really cool item to display in my home. I really love native/primitive artwork and I thought this was a nice piece to have. Any information would be appreciated since I'm not a collector of these types of knives.

Of course I yield to the experts, but if I understand right, this is a Borneo dressed keris for the tourist trade. The blade may be old, not sure however.

Not traditional nor native to Borneo in any case.

Yep.

Full agreement but when I remember correct there is a keris in this fashion in the collection of the Leiden museum.

Regards,
Detlef

I have to correct myself, not the Leiden musem but Tropen Museum Amsterdam, a picture is shown in the book "The Kris, Mystic Weapon of the Malay World" from Edward Frey. Picture 27a. Will take a picture later.

At first here an old thread with a similar piece: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=keris+borneo

Here the picture from the above mentioned book. Please understand me correct, I don't will claim that there are original old/antique examples of this sort of "keris", I don't know when this example was collected and how it find it's way in the museum collection.

The description says: " A flamboyant kris from Borneo. The hilt is fitted with a bird's beak; the sheath is decorated with carabao teeth and goat's hair."

Tropen Museum in Amsterdam, also have one in the basement. The conservator in that time told me, that it was a tourist class keris from Borneo/Kalimantan. And that i should not buy one(that was on a vending site on that time), that he have in in collection to show people differences in tourist keris.

regards

PS Edward Frey book, The kris mystic weapon of the Malay world. shows one on pag 49 picture 27a

I think that this is exactly the keris you have seen in person! And good to know that it is also one of this "tourist keris"!

Yes you are right in that, it was.(the one in the book) ;)

PS, but i have to say, that even these and the other type of tourist class keris, are getting older by the day. And if we take into consideration that some types were being made or put together( some of them have really old blades inside of the crappy sheaths!!) +1890 for Dutch Knil soldiers and others to bring home to the family after time in the Dutch-Indies to be hanged above the chimney.

Just saying that it totally depend on the collector if its interesting or not, some could be or in the future, IMO.