A Keris for comment

[harrywagner]

I would like to solicit comments and opinions about this Keris. I believe it is from Java. Is this a tourist souvenir? Any ideas about it's age? It came with two hilts. I am curious if the fancy hilt is appropriate for this knife or if I should stick with the more plain one. I believe the fancy one was purchased separately. TIA!

Harry

[Henk]

Very nice keris. Certainly not tourist stuff.
I believe the naga is done with gold because the copper stuff looks different.
Stay with the plain ukiran. The other one is a madura ukiran. The keris is in javanese dress.
The keris itself is maybe not very old but a lovely piece in my opnion.
Well done!!

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by Henk

Very nice keris. Certainly not tourist stuff.
I believe the naga is done with gold because the copper stuff looks different.
Stay with the plain ukiran. The other one is a madura ukiran. The keris is in javanese dress.
The keris itself is maybe not very old but a lovely piece in my opnion.
Well done!!

Thank you! That helps me a great deal. I like it also and am reasonably certain the gilding is gold. My fingernail has no effect on it and the blade is heavier than the other three Keris I have, which I attribute to the gold. I would not have been a bit surprised to discover it was a tourist item, and am thrilled that it is not. I'll swap out the hilt for the more traditional one and park the one from Madura on my desk. Thanks again. Much appreciated.

[A. G. Maisey]

I agree with Henk.

However, that mendak really should be replaced, it ruins the whole presentation. This type of mendak is very low quality and detracts from an otherwise pretty OK keris.

What is the material in the pendok?

The crest on the back of the pendok is the crest of the Surakarta Karaton.

The posted photo shows a nice quality mendak, not highest quality, but good middle quality, heavy silver and natural stones. Something like this would make a world of difference to the presentation of this keris. The hilt is tayuman baru, maker was Sutejo.

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

I agree with Henk.

However, that mendak really should be replaced, it ruins the whole presentation. This type of mendak is very low quality and detracts from an otherwise pretty OK keris.

What is the material in the pendok?

The crest on the back of the pendok is the crest of the Surakarta Karaton.

The posted photo shows a nice quality mendak, not highest quality, but good middle quality, heavy silver and natural stones. Something like this would make a world of difference to the presentation of this keris. The hilt is tayuman baru, maker was Sutejo.

Thank you! I was hoping someone would recognize that crest. I believe the pendok is brass. I know little about the piece. I bought it, and another I posted previously, on faith alone. i am relieved it is not a tourist piece. My "wall of shame" is getting pretty crowded. Thanks again. I appreciate the help.

[David]

Originally Posted by harrywagner

Thank you! I was hoping someone would recognize that crest. I believe the pendok is brass. I know little about the piece. I bought it, and another I posted previously, on faith alone. i am relieved it is not a tourist piece. My "wall of shame" is getting pretty crowded. Thanks again. I appreciate the help.

Yes Harry, i wouldn't call this a tourist keris piece, however i wouldn't make any assumptions based on the crest that it is a Keraton piece either. Seems a contemporary piece to me, but created with at least some integrity. I like the repousse work on the pendok and that's nice pelet wood used for the sheath. Definitely swap back to the simpler planar hilt and see if you can find a nice mendak and this one can avoid the "Wall of Shame" for sure.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by harrywagner

the blade is heavier than the other three Keris I have, which I attribute to the gold.

Really? The gold coat should be very thick then!

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by Jean

Really? The gold coat should be very thick then!

Hi Jean, Maybe. Or maybe it is just a thicker blade. Or perhaps a combination of the two. I only have four Keris, and those four are the only ones I have had an opportunity to handle. So take anything I say about Keris with a grain of salt. Here are the weights for the four I have:

This one: 1 lb 7 oz
Beanie boy hilt (previously posted): 14.5 oz
Monkey hilt (also previously posted): 13.1 oz
A new (vintage) one I have not yet posted: 10 oz

Harry

[A. G. Maisey]

Harry, one of the things I do when I appraise a keris is to examine it very closely using a 3X loupe under good natural light. You can see a lot that you cannot otherwise see.

I suggest you have a close look at the gold that has been applied to the surface of this blade.

There are several different ways to attach gold to the surface of a blade, it is probable that the gold on your blade is a very, very thin layer of foil that has been attached in a similar way to koftgari. Sometimes a little bit of adhesive might be used where where the foil will not stick.

The total weight of the gold will be very small.

This keris is a bit heavier than your others because it is a current era keris, and the raised areas of carved steel, needed to support the gold add to the weight.