New Keris To Identify
 

Hi All,

Need Help to identify this one please.

Does a cracked blade have a place in a keris collection?

Cheers.

Well, i'd say this cracked blade does. LOL! ;)
Many people would consider this crack to be "complong" and consider this blade to have an added power. To quote fellow member Alan Maisey "A combong occurs in the actual body of the keris, normally where a weld joint has not come together, usually this is accidental, but the really highly valued combong is the one that has been intentionally made for talismanic effect."
This looks to be more an accidental than intentional crack in a weld joint, but that would not stop many from holding this keris in higher regard because of it. The idea is that if one looks through the space in the blade that they can obtain what is is they view through it. This is often applied in the case of love. ;)
The keris itself is Madurese. It seems to have been prepared to receive kinatah (gold decorations) though i don't see any evidence that the gold was ever applied. It seems to have something written in relief at the base of the blade. Perhaps someone else can provide a more accurate translation than i can, as well as the writing carved in the gandar on the sheath. Most probably passages from the Qur'an. Doesn't seem extremely old, but not new either (though my eyes are sometimes fooled by artificial aging). Really nicely carved hilt that seems to fall somewhere between tumenggunan and donoriko. As for collectable, i would welcome into my collection. ;)

This is a 100% Madura keris.

It dates from after 1991, probably long after 1991.

The character in the sorsoran is the Unicode text form for "Allah", it is missing one element, but it is very identifiable as Unicode, which first came into use in 1991.

The wrongko is also very recent, as is mendak & hilt.

I cannot classify the hilt, it is, as David has mentioned, a form that varies from the standard.

The opening in the center of the blade is a "cold shut". It is not intentional.

My personal feeling is that Allah might feel just a little bit offended to have his name associated with with such a severe fault.

But then again, only God can create perfection, so perhaps this fault is an indisputable reiteration of this belief.

Thanks again Alan and David.

I have another Madura one I believe. What pamor would this be? Perhaps this one is a bit older (patina in the gold ???).

The hilt, sheath seems to be of same material. Very magnetic too.
Its a luk 3 right? These 3 Luks at the end of the blade, common in Madura keris's?
A Commissioned keris? Or perhaps some ceremonial keris?

Cheers.

Omar, this appears to be a fairly contemporary keris to me, probably no older than the one that started this thread. It is made in a talismanic manner, that is, it has inscriptions and symbols all over it are invocative of a spiritual nature, but this seems most likely to have been created for a collector purpose rather than any real ritual one. I am afraid that with all the relief writing and kinatah i cannot really read what pamor this keris presents.

Yes David, this is so.

The pamor is a random mlumah, wos wutah I think.

That is what i would have imaged for a keris like this, but with all the relief writing it is difficult to determine what is pamor and what is etching. ;)