Unusual Sajen Keris

A. G. Maisey · 15th May 2019, 11:56 PM

Keris sajen are often made from re-cycled items of tosan aji.

The word "sajen" means an offering, strictly, an offering that is made to spirits.

The offering is not intended for re-use, if an old piece of tosan aji that has some history attached to it is used to make the keris used in the offering, this is a plus for the intended purpose, not a negative.

Athanase · 19th May 2019, 02:19 PM

Thank you for your comments.
I apologize for my late response but lost my password.

I don't think this Keris Sajen is very old (XXth entury but before 1970) but even if it doesn't respect the standards I think it was created for a local spiritual use because it does not seem to have been made to look like a very old antiquity and is very different from the mini keris for tourists I've seen.

The photos were taken after a first cleaning, the remaining rust is really very resistant. I hesitate to use the pneumatic micropercutor of the museum where I work because I am afraid to mark the blade.

A. G. Maisey · 19th May 2019, 10:54 PM

Athanase, I have worked with and have trained museum employed conservators, and I do realise that museums work in accordance with different objectives and parameters than do most collectors. However, the rust that I can see on this blade would be easily removed by using the approaches to blade cleaning that are used in Jawa or Bali (although these result in different finishes) and that is now used by most educated collectors of keris and other tosanaji in the world outside Jawa and Bali. This traditional approach uses a combination of chemical and mechanical cleaning methods.

15th May 2019, 11:56 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	Keris sajen are often made from re-cycled items of tosan aji. The word "sajen" means an offering, strictly, an offering that is made to spirits. The offering is not intended for re-use, if an old piece of tosan aji that has some history attached to it is used to make the keris used in the offering, this is a plus for the intended purpose, not a negative.

19th May 2019, 02:19 PM	#2
Athanase Member Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: Paris (France) Posts: 420	Thank you for your comments. I apologize for my late response but lost my password. I don't think this Keris Sajen is very old (XXth entury but before 1970) but even if it doesn't respect the standards I think it was created for a local spiritual use because it does not seem to have been made to look like a very old antiquity and is very different from the mini keris for tourists I've seen. The photos were taken after a first cleaning, the remaining rust is really very resistant. I hesitate to use the pneumatic micropercutor of the museum where I work because I am afraid to mark the blade.

19th May 2019, 10:54 PM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,056	Athanase, I have worked with and have trained museum employed conservators, and I do realise that museums work in accordance with different objectives and parameters than do most collectors. However, the rust that I can see on this blade would be easily removed by using the approaches to blade cleaning that are used in Jawa or Bali (although these result in different finishes) and that is now used by most educated collectors of keris and other tosanaji in the world outside Jawa and Bali. This traditional approach uses a combination of chemical and mechanical cleaning methods.