What is this pamor?

A. G. Maisey · 17th May 2011, 01:18 PM

Jean, I feel that this pamor is open to a number of interpretations.

Have a look at Haryoguritno and see how many pamors you can find that this one could be squeezed into.

What I was taught about pamor naming was that you cannot just stick a name on a pamor because it looks like a particular motif .

Nope. Not allowed to do that.

You need to try to understand how the pamor was made and what the maker was trying to do, then you measure that against the lexicon of motifs.

With this pamor we have a canvas of wos wutah that has been surface manipulated by repetitive punch marks, or possibly ground in dips, or maybe punched and ground --- too hard to tell from a picture.

When I see a line of this sort of dots running down a blade, my favorite nomination is banyu tetes, but there are other candidates, and like many things to do with keris and names, maybe what you call it depends upon the influences that rule you.

The form does seem to agree with Tuban, but not Tuban -Mataram. In Tuban-Mataram we expect to see a tungkakan, and a pamor motif like this in a Tuban blade is something I would not expect to see. I rather doubt that this is an old blade --- but it is quite a nice one.

Jean · 18th May 2011, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

The form does seem to agree with Tuban, but not Tuban -Mataram. In Tuban-Mataram we expect to see a tungkakan, and a pamor motif like this in a Tuban blade is something I would not expect to see. I rather doubt that this is an old blade --- but it is quite a nice one.

Hello Alan,
To be clear the seller did not mean Tuban/ Mataram transition period but a blade made in Tuban style (form) during the Mataram era, but I accept your opinion that the blade was probably made recently as shown by the complex pamor especially. Any opinion if this blade was made in Java or Madura?
Best regards
Jean

A. G. Maisey · 18th May 2011, 08:55 AM

Yes Jean, that's what Tuban-Mataram means:- made in Tuban during Mataram period; same as Tuban Pajajaran and Tuban Majapahit.

I know of nobody in Jawa who makes blades in this way. My guess is Sumenep, or if not Sumenep, a Sumenep craftsman living in Jawa, probably Surabaya-Malang area.

17th May 2011, 01:18 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Jean, I feel that this pamor is open to a number of interpretations. Have a look at Haryoguritno and see how many pamors you can find that this one could be squeezed into. What I was taught about pamor naming was that you cannot just stick a name on a pamor because it looks like a particular motif . Nope. Not allowed to do that. You need to try to understand how the pamor was made and what the maker was trying to do, then you measure that against the lexicon of motifs. With this pamor we have a canvas of wos wutah that has been surface manipulated by repetitive punch marks, or possibly ground in dips, or maybe punched and ground --- too hard to tell from a picture. When I see a line of this sort of dots running down a blade, my favorite nomination is banyu tetes, but there are other candidates, and like many things to do with keris and names, maybe what you call it depends upon the influences that rule you. The form does seem to agree with Tuban, but not Tuban -Mataram. In Tuban-Mataram we expect to see a tungkakan, and a pamor motif like this in a Tuban blade is something I would not expect to see. I rather doubt that this is an old blade --- but it is quite a nice one.

18th May 2011, 08:55 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Yes Jean, that's what Tuban-Mataram means:- made in Tuban during Mataram period; same as Tuban Pajajaran and Tuban Majapahit. I know of nobody in Jawa who makes blades in this way. My guess is Sumenep, or if not Sumenep, a Sumenep craftsman living in Jawa, probably Surabaya-Malang area.