Naga keris - original?

[kai]

Hello Erik,

How well does the blade fit to the Madura scabbard?

I'm tempted to agree with Henk's assessment that this blade is possibly a recent keris-like object (KLO) either produced for those travelling for pleasure or maybe as cheap props for wedding ceremonies. AFAIK there are quite a few current centers/smiths throughout Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula and most also cater to the tourist market. The Medan area seems to be a good example with bladesmiths as well as silverworking and carving specialists getting better at imitating genuine pieces aiming at the serious collector market; low-end KLOs keep being mass-produced for tourists, too. Other areas also produce tourist pieces with qualities ranging from decent to abysmal; usually, tools (fieldwork, kitchen, etc.) as well as genuine ethnographic pieces (often of village quality) are also offered for the local market - these seem to quite rarely find their way into the western world though. Then there are Indonesian smiths catering to the global market for utility blades, ethnographic repros, custom knifes, and fantasy blades...

Regards,
Kai