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Originally Posted by Treeslicer
OK, thanks anyway. I feel virtuous for having provided the keris collecting community with a truly horrid benchmark from which they may judge the excellence of their own examples.  |
Believe me Treeslicer, i am not trying to be harsh, but this is not the type of keris that most collectors take all that seriously or spend much time doing any serious assessments on. As best i can tell this keris was created with a very limited skill set as a reproduction of the well known naga sosro dhapur. Many such reproductions make an effort to present themselves with some particular level of craft. The second one you show raises the craft level somewhat for sure. As Alan has pointed out, this level of craft is indeed reflected in value. While i do not discount the possibility that this one may have seen legitimate cultural usage, perhaps in service for a wedding or some other official affair that called for a keris as part of formal dress, i see it this type of keris more as a marketplace souvenir piece not particularly worthy of serious discussion. Higher levels of craft in these reproductions carry more value, using better materials, actual gold instead of brass for the kinatah and be found in fine bejeweled dress. Those examples can be seen as "art" keris and some may find them more collectable. I am not trying to sound smug or dismissive, but i simply don't know what else there is to be said about an example such as the one you have presented to us. Many keris enthusiasts would be more likely to refer to it as a keris-like-object rather than a legitimate keris.
