Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

A. G. Maisey · 15th July 2014, 03:34 PM

I cannot say with any certainty that it is recent, that is, recent in the sense of since 1980 --- I would need to handle it to give an opinion on that, but the gandik and kembang kacang are very typical of Madura, the rondha is a form frequently found in Madura keris, and this style of pamor work is also common from Sumenep, both pre-WWII and since the revival. It is very difficult to assess iron from a photo, but that too has the appearance of iron used in some Madura keris.

I note that Semar has suggested sekar lampes, but I do not think we can accept that, because sekar lampes is a pamor miring, not a pamor mlumah, and this keris is pamor mlumah with manipulated surface.

Recently there seems to have been a lot of interest in Cirebon keris, and I have seen a lot of photos and heard stories of keris of "Cirebon" tangguh --- its almost as if Cirebon keris have become much more plentiful than they have been for the last 30 years or so.

I would most humbly suggest that before anybody nominates a blade for tangguh Cirebon that they might do well to look at what Ngabehi Wirosoekadgo has to say about tangguh Cirebon in "Serat Panangguhing Duwung", and then to spend a little time with "Silsilah Keturunan Empu Tanah Jawa".

There is no problem at all in nominating a complete keris as Cirebon, but almost invariably that complete keris will have a blade from some place other than Cirebon.

15th July 2014, 03:34 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,700	I cannot say with any certainty that it is recent, that is, recent in the sense of since 1980 --- I would need to handle it to give an opinion on that, but the gandik and kembang kacang are very typical of Madura, the rondha is a form frequently found in Madura keris, and this style of pamor work is also common from Sumenep, both pre-WWII and since the revival. It is very difficult to assess iron from a photo, but that too has the appearance of iron used in some Madura keris. I note that Semar has suggested sekar lampes, but I do not think we can accept that, because sekar lampes is a pamor miring, not a pamor mlumah, and this keris is pamor mlumah with manipulated surface. Recently there seems to have been a lot of interest in Cirebon keris, and I have seen a lot of photos and heard stories of keris of "Cirebon" tangguh --- its almost as if Cirebon keris have become much more plentiful than they have been for the last 30 years or so. I would most humbly suggest that before anybody nominates a blade for tangguh Cirebon that they might do well to look at what Ngabehi Wirosoekadgo has to say about tangguh Cirebon in "Serat Panangguhing Duwung", and then to spend a little time with "Silsilah Keturunan Empu Tanah Jawa". There is no problem at all in nominating a complete keris as Cirebon, but almost invariably that complete keris will have a blade from some place other than Cirebon.