Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Keris Sajen

A. G. Maisey · 10th February 2016, 08:45 PM

This is an opinion Marius, what I will now write is not something you will find in keris books.

Every keris sajen you see is genuine, doesn't matter if it was made yesterday, or made several hundred years ago.

Why?

Because they are still in use, still being made for the original, traditional purposes.

Here is a link to a page in my site where you can see a number of keris sajen, all of which are old. Some of these are very rare, very valuable pieces, which a couple of European museums have attempted to purchase.

http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/kerissajen.html

Ordinary, run-of-the-mill keris sajen are not particularly expensive.

It is virtually impossible to estimate age based on style, because earlier styles have been copied in later periods. The head covering that is worn by the figure may give some guidance. Even in the case where somebody may understand how to estimate age based on material, there is no certainty that a KS made of old material is itself old, because often a KS is made from a damaged old piece of tosan aji.

If one understands material, and this is a skill that is very rare, combination of reading the material, together with reading overall wear and perceived age might be of assistance.

In other words, only a very great deal of experience might assist in identifying an old KS, and even then it is possible to be wrong.

Have a look at my page, have a look at the pics in Theo Alkema's "Iron Ancestors", compare what you want to buy with what you see in my site and in Theo's book.

10th February 2016, 08:45 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	This is an opinion Marius, what I will now write is not something you will find in keris books. Every keris sajen you see is genuine, doesn't matter if it was made yesterday, or made several hundred years ago. Why? Because they are still in use, still being made for the original, traditional purposes. Here is a link to a page in my site where you can see a number of keris sajen, all of which are old. Some of these are very rare, very valuable pieces, which a couple of European museums have attempted to purchase. http://www.kerisattosanaji.com/kerissajen.html Ordinary, run-of-the-mill keris sajen are not particularly expensive. It is virtually impossible to estimate age based on style, because earlier styles have been copied in later periods. The head covering that is worn by the figure may give some guidance. Even in the case where somebody may understand how to estimate age based on material, there is no certainty that a KS made of old material is itself old, because often a KS is made from a damaged old piece of tosan aji. If one understands material, and this is a skill that is very rare, combination of reading the material, together with reading overall wear and perceived age might be of assistance. In other words, only a very great deal of experience might assist in identifying an old KS, and even then it is possible to be wrong. Have a look at my page, have a look at the pics in Theo Alkema's "Iron Ancestors", compare what you want to buy with what you see in my site and in Theo's book.