Quote:
Originally Posted by SidJ
I do own my fair share of 'villager keris' though I am not sure what this term means and if it is to be contrasted with more sophisticated ' city keris'. But in this case its worth pointing out that the ganja appears to be a different composition than the blade. The scabbard is also very well made of very good timber with a buntet. The hulu too is well carved and of good wood. It seems to me to be fairly decent overall with attention to detail in its manufacture. I am not therefore clear in which area it lacks refinement.
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I cannot say what others might mean when they say something is "village work", but for me it is a keris that is made outside the purview of the keraton and do not necessarily adhere to the stricter pakem or, if outside Javanese influence, the court standards that are expected for keris created for a higher social level. This does not mean that a village keris cannot be well made, or even sophisticated. Village keris exist an all levels of quality of execution. It also doesn't mean that village keris are not worthy of collection. I dare say that MOST of the keris in our collections are certainly not made by an empu, but that does not mean they are necessarily made without skill. And even keris that are made with lesser levels of skill or refinement can have character and presence that draws us to them. Your keris does not seem very refined to eye, but it does seem to have "character".
