Figural horn (possibly rhino) hilt

Gustav · 20th April 2016, 10:35 AM

As Jean and Kai pointed out, the devil is in the details. The details of eyes, eyebrows, ears, hair, fingers and so on are extremely important. I never would judge the age of a hilt by only one indicator, yet the total allows an opinion.

I am very sorry, yet I am reluctant to go into the smaller details, because I have no interest to participate in or to sponsor the indonesian Keris business.

Regarding more recent carvings (thank you David), I would say, the presentation of Lingga-Yoni symbolism differs from the old depictions on Bungkul of a hilt. I would even say, in more recent times this symbolism mostly is not understood by the carver, just the ornaments depicted, or the degree of "hiding" a symbol is a completely other one.

Regarding the symbolism within Tumpal, there is another important component, the Lotus blossom. "In the esoteric vajrayana-buddhism it signifies the female principle or the female genitals (as a substitute for the hindu yoni - Liebert, Iconographic Dictionary of the Indian Religions). In fact, the state of dissolution of Yoni-Lotus motif / the state of Tumpal motif as general arrangement for ornaments on Bungkul is a very important indicator for the stage of development and thus the approximate age of a hilt.

Regarding the material, I even doubt, if most of us would recognize it, when held in hand. The appearance of rhino horn can be very different, along with it comes the degree of polish and the age (I have the feeling, they become denser with age and you can't recognize the end grains well anymore). There is a big collection of 17th cent. chinese drinking horns in Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, and there are remarkable differences in appearance of the material. Of course, also because the chinese used horn of all three rhino species which lived in Asia. The very tip of the head of rhino hilt from Vienna (surely 17th cent., possibly much earlier) is covered with a small cap made from gold and gems, yet next to it you don't see any end grains.

20th April 2016, 10:35 AM	#15
Gustav Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,273	As Jean and Kai pointed out, the devil is in the details. The details of eyes, eyebrows, ears, hair, fingers and so on are extremely important. I never would judge the age of a hilt by only one indicator, yet the total allows an opinion. I am very sorry, yet I am reluctant to go into the smaller details, because I have no interest to participate in or to sponsor the indonesian Keris business. Regarding more recent carvings (thank you David), I would say, the presentation of Lingga-Yoni symbolism differs from the old depictions on Bungkul of a hilt. I would even say, in more recent times this symbolism mostly is not understood by the carver, just the ornaments depicted, or the degree of "hiding" a symbol is a completely other one. Regarding the symbolism within Tumpal, there is another important component, the Lotus blossom. "In the esoteric vajrayana-buddhism it signifies the female principle or the female genitals (as a substitute for the hindu yoni - Liebert, Iconographic Dictionary of the Indian Religions). In fact, the state of dissolution of Yoni-Lotus motif / the state of Tumpal motif as general arrangement for ornaments on Bungkul is a very important indicator for the stage of development and thus the approximate age of a hilt. Regarding the material, I even doubt, if most of us would recognize it, when held in hand. The appearance of rhino horn can be very different, along with it comes the degree of polish and the age (I have the feeling, they become denser with age and you can't recognize the end grains well anymore). There is a big collection of 17th cent. chinese drinking horns in Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien, and there are remarkable differences in appearance of the material. Of course, also because the chinese used horn of all three rhino species which lived in Asia. The very tip of the head of rhino hilt from Vienna (surely 17th cent., possibly much earlier) is covered with a small cap made from gold and gems, yet next to it you don't see any end grains.