14th April 2012, 11:09 PM | #1 |
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Bugis Riau Luk 5 Ujung Gunung
Hello all. I am new to the forum and actually to the keris as well. It has only been several months since the blade was introduced to me by a vendor at a market. He warned me that I would get hooked and he was right. I already own several kerises, but I find learning about them to be far more interesting. I have been reading all I can on the internet and in books. I have found many differing versions of its history stories associated with the blades mystical side. So, I am here to learn and to share.
So, to start, I want to share this keris that I just received this week. I am going to simply quote what the vendor wrote about the blade and some pictures I took. If you spot a difference from what you see and what is written, please, speak up. In the pictures you will see some bright spots on the blade. I oiled the blade the night before I took the pictures and I didn't notice the spots until after the pictures were taken. Here is the description: A keris from the southern Sumatran region of Bugis Riau Lingga. The handle is in the typical Bugis pistol grip (or kerdas form) and is made from kemuning wood. The top sheath is made from hard wood and the bottom stem is made from angsana wood and has a flaring bottom tip. A plain silver alloy ferrule or pendoko completes the fittings.Here are some pictures: |
15th April 2012, 12:11 AM | #2 |
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Great first post; well done .
I can't argue with the description . What other kerises have you collected so far ? |
15th April 2012, 12:25 AM | #3 | |
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Quote:
If this is not okay, let me know and I'll post them! Dan |
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15th April 2012, 03:01 AM | #4 |
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welcome
Hi and welcome dbhmb,
From your descriptions I reckon your vendor is Malay Arts Gallery(?). Learning about keris is fascinating. A live-long effort and practically endless. An average keris with a slightly below average sheath. The sheath is probably made by someone whom is not a sheath-maker, based on the aesthetics which is off. Regards, Alam Shah |
15th April 2012, 03:07 AM | #5 | |
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15th April 2012, 11:05 AM | #6 |
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As to the scabbard I agree with Alam Shah.
The blade is very well made and has a perfectly controlled pamor. |
15th April 2012, 11:57 AM | #7 |
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I like the hilt. It's simple yet have a strong character to it.
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15th April 2012, 12:09 PM | #8 |
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Thanks for all the great input! What would be a theory as to who made the sheath? A former owner?
Last edited by dbhmgb; 15th April 2012 at 02:54 PM. |
15th April 2012, 02:30 PM | #9 |
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The blade looks like it is well-forged. It is slightly wider than most Riau Bugis kerises of the same form. The sheath is no good, but you may be able to get an old Riau sheath to fit the blade, or commission a new Riau style sheath. The form shd be like this.
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15th April 2012, 02:34 PM | #10 |
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The highest form of this type of Riau keris is best represented by the golden keris owned by the Sultan of Riau-Lingga. Note the similarities between your blade and the royal keris. Of course, the royal keris is immaculately forged and shaped; the archetype of its kind.
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15th April 2012, 02:47 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
Last edited by dbhmgb; 15th April 2012 at 04:37 PM. |
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15th April 2012, 02:49 PM | #12 | |
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15th April 2012, 02:53 PM | #13 | |
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15th April 2012, 07:06 PM | #14 | |
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15th April 2012, 08:26 PM | #15 |
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You speak words of wisdom. As you can tell, I'm all over the place regarding my collection. As a new collector, I really didn't give much thought to what direction I'd take in regards to parameters for a collection. I just bought a few that were prestented to me at an affordable rate and the rest are ones that caught my eye and I could afford.
As for the sheath, I really didn't intend to replace it - I just wondered where a guy in my location could buy a sheath for a keris. After reading the comments, I looked at this keris in its sheath and could see that someone took care to make a warangka that fit the blade very well and it just seems right! And it indeed adds character to the keris! |
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