Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Just a small question that had me very curious...

A. G. Maisey · 23rd December 2009, 08:20 AM

This is only a small part of the answer, as this question is not a small nor an insignificant one.

Going back to the time of Majapahit, Javanese blades were traded right across the S.E. Asian region, so there are many very old blades that originated in Jawa, but that were originally dressed with scabbard and hilt from a different area.

This mixture of blade from one area and dress from another has continued through into the early 20th century, and it is not at all uncommon to find a blade that displays, say, Bugis, or perhaps Javanese characteristics dressed in Sumatra or other scabbard and hilt.

In Bali, many of the highly honoured old blades are actually of Javanese origin, and have been dressed in Balinese scabbard and hilt for perhaps several hundred years.

Conversely, in Jawa, Balinese and Madurese mercenaries were hired by local rulers, and some of these mercenaries became elite palace guards. Because they were in a formal situation, they were required to dress their keris in the correct style for the court of the ruler they served. In the Mangkunegaraan palace in Solo you can see keris that belonged to Balinese and Madurese palace guards that have their own unique style of dress, neither 100% Solonese of the Mankunegaraan style, nor Balinese, nor Madurese.

In a court situation it was and is required that keris conform to the correct dress requirements, so a courtier who perhaps may have had an heirloom keris from one area, would be required to have dress of the correct style to conform with the requiremnents of the court he served.

In Jawa it is regarded as somewhat ridiculous to fit a keris in say, Surakarta formal scabbard, with a hilt from Madura, however, collectors, most especially collectors in the western world are very partial to the mixing of superbly elegant Madura ivory hilts with superbly elegant Surakarta or Jogjakarta scabbards:- it looks utterly ridiculous to somebody from Surakarta, or from Madura, but to the western based owner it looks beautiful, and since he does not have to wear it at court, who will argue with him?

As a general rule, dress for a blade maintains strict conformity in those places which are under direct influence of a court, and further we travel from the court, the more deviation from conformity we see, however, even though dress may maintain conformity, the blades in that dress can sometimes vary in respect of their origin.

23rd December 2009, 08:20 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	This is only a small part of the answer, as this question is not a small nor an insignificant one. Going back to the time of Majapahit, Javanese blades were traded right across the S.E. Asian region, so there are many very old blades that originated in Jawa, but that were originally dressed with scabbard and hilt from a different area. This mixture of blade from one area and dress from another has continued through into the early 20th century, and it is not at all uncommon to find a blade that displays, say, Bugis, or perhaps Javanese characteristics dressed in Sumatra or other scabbard and hilt. In Bali, many of the highly honoured old blades are actually of Javanese origin, and have been dressed in Balinese scabbard and hilt for perhaps several hundred years. Conversely, in Jawa, Balinese and Madurese mercenaries were hired by local rulers, and some of these mercenaries became elite palace guards. Because they were in a formal situation, they were required to dress their keris in the correct style for the court of the ruler they served. In the Mangkunegaraan palace in Solo you can see keris that belonged to Balinese and Madurese palace guards that have their own unique style of dress, neither 100% Solonese of the Mankunegaraan style, nor Balinese, nor Madurese. In a court situation it was and is required that keris conform to the correct dress requirements, so a courtier who perhaps may have had an heirloom keris from one area, would be required to have dress of the correct style to conform with the requiremnents of the court he served. In Jawa it is regarded as somewhat ridiculous to fit a keris in say, Surakarta formal scabbard, with a hilt from Madura, however, collectors, most especially collectors in the western world are very partial to the mixing of superbly elegant Madura ivory hilts with superbly elegant Surakarta or Jogjakarta scabbards:- it looks utterly ridiculous to somebody from Surakarta, or from Madura, but to the western based owner it looks beautiful, and since he does not have to wear it at court, who will argue with him? As a general rule, dress for a blade maintains strict conformity in those places which are under direct influence of a court, and further we travel from the court, the more deviation from conformity we see, however, even though dress may maintain conformity, the blades in that dress can sometimes vary in respect of their origin.