A Keris for slashing...

[David]

Originally Posted by mrwizard

Hello Detlef,

Thank you for your comments and the restoration advice.

I don't plan to completely remodel this keris. IMHO this would strip the individual character that made me buy it in the first place. Somehow i like those partially broken or imperfect pieces.

My plan was to clean the blade but leave the overall ensemble untouched. Well... maybe i will try to carve a replacement buntut to make it a little more "displayable".

Best Regards,
Thilo

Thilo, i don't know how or why thos keris ended up in this crazy configuration, but there is nothing very "right" about the dress. The added piece makes no sense is is aesthetically incorrect for any keris that i know off. As has been pointed out, the hilt is from Jawa, the sheath probably peninsula, the piece in between is not correct for either location. The hilt is also facing backwards.
You could go a long way in improving the appearance of this piece simply by removing the odd piece between the hilt and the blade and turning the hilt around to the opposite orientation.
Interesting blade that has a few uncommon features on it such as the "squared" off front edge of the gandik and the triangular shape of the sogokan.