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Old 13th August 2006, 02:55 PM   #3
BluErf
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Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Singapore
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Typically, we only see tapak kuda hilts on keris panjangs in old photos. Jawa demam hilts on panjangs were very uncommon. I'm not sure if they were put on panjang blades by later dealers or collectors.

One way to look at it is by seeing how a keris panjang is used. The panjang is held with the tip towards the ground, with the fore finger and thumb gripping the bent 'head' of the tapak kuda hilt, and the remaining 3 fingers wrapped round the shaft of the hilt. A jawa demam hilt may be less ergonomic when gripped this way because it was designed for a grip where the thumb and fore finger gripped the picetan of the keris. Of course, there is no stopping a person from gripping a jawa demam hilt placed on a panjang as if it were a tapak kuda hilt, except maybe it would be less comfortable.

The sheath form is simply mindblowing! The maker had great 'air tangan' (literally "hand water", or grasp of flowing aesthetics), and the silver oversheaths are very fine too - notice how confidently the thin but swirling tendrils are executed.

The blade looks like a panjang to me. Bahari refers to the same blade form, but typically less than 12 inches long. 12-16inches would fall into the anak alang range, and anything more than 16 inches would be a panjang in my opinion (though some people would say 18 inches).

I have no hard basis of judging the origin of this panjang, but I would say the hilt is Sumatran, and so is the motif on the silver oversheath. Actually, the hilt looks Minang to me, which could put the keris in Central Sumatra. The blade itself looks more Sumatran than Malay too. Probably a Sumatran panjang, though not sure whether it's North, Central or South.
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