Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Keris--Looking for info--its from 6/13/1758

nechesh · 31st December 2004, 11:47 PM

A very learned friend of has made an interesting suggestion about the numbers on the pendok of your sheath which i had not considered:

"Javanese are into numerology in a big way; the way this number is written suggests to me that it might be intended to be a magic square:- top-13, right 58,bottom 6, left 77:- this would come down to 4, 4, 6, 5, which could be read as is, or as 1, the number one coming from sum of 4+4+6+5= 19= 9+1= 1. The number one in Javanese numerology can have a number of interpretations, but it is a powerful number.Alternatively, the numbers could be read as individual combinations to produce a four digit number which could be read to produce a meaning."

Numbers written on keris sheaths that have personal numerological sugnificance is not at all an unusal thing, so it is very possible that this is not a date at all.
BTW, how well does the keris fit into the sheath? Could you provide a photo that is shot down on the keris in the sheath so we can see the fit. If the shape of the opening is not perfect to the shape of the gonjo, this sheath probably wasn't made for this keris. The hilt is Maduran, the sheath is Javanese and the blade is a lower quality than the dress; these are all signs that this is a composit piece put together for foriegn sale to an uninformed buyer.
Could we also see a better photo of the "broken" part of the sheath as well?
BTW, my friend concurs that the hilt is ivory, probably marine ivory. The color and the markings are right.

31st December 2004, 11:47 PM	#6
nechesh Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 940	A very learned friend of has made an interesting suggestion about the numbers on the pendok of your sheath which i had not considered: "Javanese are into numerology in a big way; the way this number is written suggests to me that it might be intended to be a magic square:- top-13, right 58,bottom 6, left 77:- this would come down to 4, 4, 6, 5, which could be read as is, or as 1, the number one coming from sum of 4+4+6+5= 19= 9+1= 1. The number one in Javanese numerology can have a number of interpretations, but it is a powerful number.Alternatively, the numbers could be read as individual combinations to produce a four digit number which could be read to produce a meaning." Numbers written on keris sheaths that have personal numerological sugnificance is not at all an unusal thing, so it is very possible that this is not a date at all. BTW, how well does the keris fit into the sheath? Could you provide a photo that is shot down on the keris in the sheath so we can see the fit. If the shape of the opening is not perfect to the shape of the gonjo, this sheath probably wasn't made for this keris. The hilt is Maduran, the sheath is Javanese and the blade is a lower quality than the dress; these are all signs that this is a composit piece put together for foriegn sale to an uninformed buyer. Could we also see a better photo of the "broken" part of the sheath as well? BTW, my friend concurs that the hilt is ivory, probably marine ivory. The color and the markings are right.