Kris from Java, 1811 (c).

[Gustav]

I will try to put my thoughts, when seeing the pictures of this Keris, in words.

OK, let's jump in cold water.

When I see this Keris, word "Mojopahit" comes in my mind. Yet I cannot be sure at all if it is a Keris from time period when Mojopahit existed. As I understand, there was a Mojopahit "revival" under Sultan Agungs reign, and perhaps it wasn't the only one.

And then there are South Sumatran forms of such kerisses. The variation here can have very big range, from quite primitive specimens to Keris, where I am not able to be sure about the exact origin.

Surely such influence of javanese court in Sumatra can be traced back to Adityawarman, who most probably was a cousin of Jayanegara.

This is so especially when I see a picture of some Megantoro. two or three of them come with South Sumatran hilts, like perhaps the most perfect Megantoro in existence, from book of Bezemer. I don't have it here, so I cannot tell, if the Pendok, which looks like mismatch, is added after the publication. Surely it had also a Pendok there.

Yet the present pendok clearly is not Solonese, and I never before have seen such pattern on a Pendok of Yogya style.

Actually when I look at a Megantoro, the whole idea seems to me un-javanese. I cannot describe this feeling. Perhaps a small support to this heretical thought would be the fact there is no Megantoro form in Bali. Yet we all know at least one variation of Megantoro in North Sumatran dress, in van Duurens Book.

To answer Davids question, I suppose, at some time the Keris of this thread had a sheath like Bezemers Megantoro, or captain Swanns Keris from Hales book.

Also attached a picture from Solyoms publication about Lampung, to illustrate how unexpected sheath forms could pop up in South Sumatra.