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Originally Posted by Dajak
Thanks Bill this looks like an nice old scabbard it is a shame that there is lak on it .
But as David also said, it would be highly disrespectful to a Javanese kris NOT to have new dress. But sometimes very high quality Javanese keris are in very plain, but well-made new dress. Like a beautiful woman in a simple black dress. But old-looking, patinated, dress to a Javanese old-school collector would be like having your wife in rags -- dirty rags.
This would be for the krissen that stays overthere but don't forget that the Dutch people take krissen from there 300 years or more ago and they did not get an new dress overhere ,also other europian country's did get their museums loaded with a lot off these items .
Also the most knowledge about krissen was in europe by that time .
The most and the best krissen I bilieve are outside Indonesia . and an lot off fake are made by them now . (fake is new made kris sold for old)
I used to have an nice kris collection before I started my Borneo collection .
Rich Indonesian people are buying back their own stuff at the moment on important auctions in Europe
Ben
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Hi Ben,
I would submit there is a big difference in a connoisseur Javanese collector and a Dutch or other kind of collector.
Most cultures like fine old dress.
Though we can't prove it, I agree with David that there are still a lot of great Javanese keris in Java. To a Javanese collector, keris are very private and not shared except one on one with a few close friends.
I still have a Javanese and Balinese collection, nearly as many as my Philippine collection but I don't post pictures.
I would imagine that there are a few really good Balinese keris being held by the Dutch that were picked up after the pupitan in Klungkung.