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Old 23rd September 2015, 08:06 AM   #4
A. G. Maisey
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Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,703
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Yes, you're right David, but this keris is really something that I would expect to find in the possession of Mr. Ordinary. Its not the sort of thing that we could associate with the pura influenced areas of South Bali.

Once we move into West Bali we find an overlap of Javanese influence, and in East Jawa, right out on the tip in the area of Blambangan , there is an overlap of Balinese influence. Take this into account with the fact that even in South Bali a lot of people are now using Javanese gayaman wrongkos along with Javanese and Madurese blades, and then consider that we are very unlikely to see such a combination as we move away from Blambangan.

If this wrongko is original to the blade, I reckon East Jawa/West Bali is a fair guess, but even if it is not original, I still reckon its an each way bet on whether its a montage or was used in one place or the other.

We are used to seeing kraton specific/pura specific/court specific keris dress, but the fact of the matter is that once we move into an area away from the seats of power, people do pretty much as they themselves see fit.

Or think of it another way:- if we do not place it in East Jawa/West Bali, where can we place it --- apart from a dealer's backroom that is.
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