3 Keris - 19th century
 

Hi , 1st time on here...
Have a few questions ... I inherited 3 Kerises from my Dutch grandfather who was in Indonesia in the 1930's ... He was given Kerises from different tribes while he was there ... apparently they had also been passed down already for a few generations at least ... I would put them between 1800
and 1875 , but again I'm not sure ... they could be older but not newer...
From what my mother told me as well , my grandfather was in the dutch marines and that is partly how he got over there as well in the 1930's ... The handles on them are supposed to be 2 Ivory and 1 ebony ...I also believe the Kerises would be from either Java or Sumatra but that I'm not sure of and I would ask some more expert opinions on this as well as what the handles are likely made of ...
I will post each one individually over the next few days or so and see what kinds of thoughts and opinions people have of these ones ...
thanks,
Pete

Hi Pete,
welcome to the forum.
This keris is from East Java or Madura. The hilt is most probable not from ivory but from deer horn. Can you take a picture from up? For the hilt type please look here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=14425
Would like to see the blade cleaned.

Regards,

Detlef

Welcome to the forum Pete. I'm pretty much with Detlef here. This hilt form is called janggelan by some and while they are sometimes made of ivory yours does look more like antler.
This keris could well be 19th century or early 20th century. It appears to be fairly standard village work from Madura or East Jawa. These areas are very close and share many commonalities in style.