Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 12th April 2022, 01:46 PM

That's not a bad explanation Marco, as far as it goes.

The exploded drawing of the trap-trapan selut I believe makes it quite clear that with trap-trapan we are talking about what we would perhaps call a "fabricated" selut in English, the parts are made, and then arranged to form the finished product. The word "trap-trapan" carries the meaning of arranging something into its place.

However, after the basic selut has been assembled (ie, "fabricated") the motif is cut into it, and this work makes the basic selut an object that carries "krawangan" work. The ornamentation of the trap-trapan selut can stop right there, but if gems are added, that selut which has been produced by arranging the separate parts together, then cutting a motif into it, becomes a selut "tretes" when the gems are added. A selut such as this has a lot of work in it & involves a number of aspects of the jeweller's craft, carving, sculpting, engraving, chiselling, soldering.

In the old days, the jewellers & goldsmiths in Jalan Coyudan used to do this sort of work , but after about the 1950's keris related work became more focussed I think and craftsmen specialising in keris dress were located in various areas. At the moment some very good seluts of this style are produced in Purwokerto, the trap-trapan selut is usually the size & style that we identify as Jeruk Keprok.

The tatahan selut usually starts with a body that has been cast, the casting is refined by polishing & shaping before the finishing begins. The finishing is usually just the engraving of a motif into the metal using hand chisels & gravers. This then is the selut tatahan.

What Harsrinuksmo says is:- "Bagian-bagian tertentu dari gambaran pola hias itu lalu ditatah (dipahat) sehingga berlobang. Maka jadilah bundaran itu sebuah calonan selut krawangan.(gambar 3)".

So we have a selut tatahan up to the point where the design is cut through the metal, once the design is cut through the metal that tatahan work becomes krawangan work, and we have a selut krawangan. Harsrinuksmo says "calonan selut krawangan'', "calonan" means a "candidate", so the selut that began as a "candidate" to become a selut tatahan, with only an engraved design, or maybe no design at all, can become a selut krawangan when the design is carved through the metal. Then if gems are added --- which would be very unusual with this type of selut, we have a selut tretes.

But there is one thing that does not change:- that selut which started as a selut tatahan will be the size and shape of a selut Jeruk Pecel. Only the selut trap-trapan that is fabricated will be a selut Jeruk Keprok.

There is another kind of selut that I believe is only a recent product, it has the size & shape of a Selut Jeruk Pecel, but instead of the body being cast, that body is made of very thin brass sheet that has a false krawangan work motif stamped into it. These seluts are very low priced.

12th April 2022, 01:46 PM	#21
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,882	That's not a bad explanation Marco, as far as it goes. The exploded drawing of the trap-trapan selut I believe makes it quite clear that with trap-trapan we are talking about what we would perhaps call a "fabricated" selut in English, the parts are made, and then arranged to form the finished product. The word "trap-trapan" carries the meaning of arranging something into its place. However, after the basic selut has been assembled (ie, "fabricated") the motif is cut into it, and this work makes the basic selut an object that carries "krawangan" work. The ornamentation of the trap-trapan selut can stop right there, but if gems are added, that selut which has been produced by arranging the separate parts together, then cutting a motif into it, becomes a selut "tretes" when the gems are added. A selut such as this has a lot of work in it & involves a number of aspects of the jeweller's craft, carving, sculpting, engraving, chiselling, soldering. In the old days, the jewellers & goldsmiths in Jalan Coyudan used to do this sort of work , but after about the 1950's keris related work became more focussed I think and craftsmen specialising in keris dress were located in various areas. At the moment some very good seluts of this style are produced in Purwokerto, the trap-trapan selut is usually the size & style that we identify as Jeruk Keprok. The tatahan selut usually starts with a body that has been cast, the casting is refined by polishing & shaping before the finishing begins. The finishing is usually just the engraving of a motif into the metal using hand chisels & gravers. This then is the selut tatahan. What Harsrinuksmo says is:- "Bagian-bagian tertentu dari gambaran pola hias itu lalu ditatah (dipahat) sehingga berlobang. Maka jadilah bundaran itu sebuah calonan selut krawangan.(gambar 3)". So we have a selut tatahan up to the point where the design is cut through the metal, once the design is cut through the metal that tatahan work becomes krawangan work, and we have a selut krawangan. Harsrinuksmo says "calonan selut krawangan'', "calonan" means a "candidate", so the selut that began as a "candidate" to become a selut tatahan, with only an engraved design, or maybe no design at all, can become a selut krawangan when the design is carved through the metal. Then if gems are added --- which would be very unusual with this type of selut, we have a selut tretes. But there is one thing that does not change:- that selut which started as a selut tatahan will be the size and shape of a selut Jeruk Pecel. Only the selut trap-trapan that is fabricated will be a selut Jeruk Keprok. There is another kind of selut that I believe is only a recent product, it has the size & shape of a Selut Jeruk Pecel, but instead of the body being cast, that body is made of very thin brass sheet that has a false krawangan work motif stamped into it. These seluts are very low priced.