By "close examination", I mean close examination by a person with the knowledge and experience to identify with a reasonable prospect of accuracy the probable source of this blade.
From a photograph it is not possible to assess the material used, it is not possible to assess blade geometry, it is not possible to inspect distal taper, it is not possible to carry out a microscopic appraisal of the blade surface, it is not possible to form a supportable opinion of the comparative age of blade and the dress.
Add to this the fact that very probably the only person who could carry out such an examination would be one who is a part of the Indonesian trade in these objects and who has adequate experience and knowledge in the area and what you have is a situation with no easily available resolution.
Almost everything that is required in order to form a supportable opinion is not possible from a photograph.
There is one thing that can be seen from the photo in this case, and that is the way that pamor has been retained at the expense of functionality. In any blade that uses a core, that core should ideally be exposed at the cutting edge or edges. In this badik the core loses exposure as it nears the point. This would seem to indicate that the blade was not forged to shape and lacks sufficient distal taper, but rather was produced from a piece of material that was originally wider and most likely thicker. A badik is intended to be used as a thrusting weapon, not a cutting weapon, which means that in construction the point must be prioritised, in the case of this blade, that has not happened.
During my lifetime I have had several of these badiks. I still have one. They have never had a typical badik blade fitted to them, but have had blades made from re-cycled keris or pedangs.
Every one of these badiks that I have had has been considerably longer than the type of badik we associate with Sulawesi. A blade of the size and form of the blade in this badik under discussion would need to be very thin and have considerable taper to provide the balance that we find in a typical badik; this balance in the typical badik is conducive to extremely fast instinctive use.
How many weapons of any form have we ever seen with a pamor like this that we can be certain have come from Sulawesi? Personally, I have seen none.
How many weapons with a pamor like this have we ever seen that we can be certain have come from Jawa-Madura? Speaking for myself, a very great number, most of which have been pedangs.
It is very common practice in Jawa to re-shape blades for use in other weapons. The two major centres where this is particularly prevalent are in Surabaya and Jogjakarta. There is a spinoff from Surabaya to Malang and Blitar, and dealers in these two towns have connections with Surabaya. Of course much of the product of Surabaya and Jogja winds up in Jakarta.
Last but not least we have the style, quality level, and motifs used in the dress of this badik. To my eye these appear to be closer to Javanese in origin than to anything I've seen from anywhere in Sulawesi.
There are varying levels of knowledge within the dealer network in Jawa, and very often a dealer himself will not have the necessary knowledge and experience to provide accurate information on everything he sells --- even if he wants to. Because of this we need to educate ourselves to a level that will permit the identification of tells that may give an indication that something is not quite what it may seem to be. There is no easy way that I know of to gain this education, and like all education, it costs money.
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