Lombok artisan works

[A. G. Maisey]

Anthony, I think you will find that the wood is burl teak (jati gembol), it is a wood that has been used for a long time for wrongkos & also for hilts. When they were clearing the forests in Borneo there was a lot of it around, but in recent years it has become very hard to get. About ten or twelve years ago I had an order in for over two years to get two pieces of jati gembol big enough for ladrangan atasans.

EDIT

Here is an example of a different type of burl, this is thuya burl from Morocco.

EDIT 2

When this wrongko was made, back around 1990, thuya burl was very difficult to get hold of and quite expensive. I just did a quick search and found that it now is a bit easier to obtain, but still not cheap:-

https://www.cookwoods.com/collections/thuya-burl

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Anthony, I think you will find that the wood is burl teak (jati gembol), it is a wood that has been used for a long time for wrongkos & also for hilts. When they were clearing the forests in Borneo there was a lot of it around, but in recent years it has become very hard to get. About ten or twelve years ago I had an order in for over two years to get two pieces of jati gembol big enough for ladrangan atasans.

EDIT

Here is an example of a different type of burl, this is thuya burl from Morocco.

EDIT 2

When this wrongko was made, back around 1990, thuya burl was very difficult to get hold of and quite expensive. I just did a quick search and found that it now is a bit easier to obtain, but still not cheap:-

https://www.cookwoods.com/collections/thuya-burl

Dear Alan, the grain and wave is beautiful. Thanks for sharing this awesome piece.

[A. G. Maisey]

Here is another nice piece of burl, teak burl this time (jati gembol)

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Here is another nice piece of burl, teak burl this time (jati gembol)

it is simple beautiful. Even Nihonto and Chinese weapons cannot compare to the materials use to make a keris.

[Mickey the Finn]

it is simple beautiful. Even Nihonto and Chinese weapons cannot compare to the materials use to make a keris.

Mr. G, the Nihonto and the "Chinese weapons" of which you speak have never held any particular appeal for me, and, although the extent of my knowledge about them might possibly exceed that of the "man on the street" in Anytown, U.S.A, it's still next to nothing. To my unlearned and undiscerning eye, those Japanese swords in particular "all look the same". Much the same with Oakeshott's European swords. I'd be at a loss to distinguish a Napoleonic AN IX hussar sabre from an AN XI or that Russian sabre that looks like it was copied from one or the other.
I once mistook the Montenegrin Chef de protocole for a German V.I.P. protection agent based on her purposeful stride in her flat-soled shoes, the aggressive manner in which she gripped her handbag, and her "unmistakably Germanic appearance".
The Chantilly-Tiffanie can never be mistaken for a Nebelung, or an Oriental Longhair. Give me an audio recording of the vocalizations of the three cats, and, so long as all three cats are queens, I'll distinguish the Chantilly-Tiffanie sight unseen.
I must say I do agree with what I think is the general spirit of your statement. I do suspect, however, that only my ignorance of "the others" may be the real reason I agree with it so readily.
I was once told by a man who had lived in Merka, that Merkans believe wholeheartedly that Merka is the greatest country in the world because they've never lived anywhere else, nor do they know anything about anywhere else; and why on earth would they want to?

[Anthony G.]

Originally Posted by Mickey the Finn

Mr. G, the Nihonto and the "Chinese weapons" of which you speak have never held any particular appeal for me, and, although the extent of my knowledge about them might possibly exceed that of the "man on the street" in Anytown, U.S.A, it's still next to nothing. To my unlearned and undiscerning eye, those Japanese swords in particular "all look the same". Much the same with Oakeshott's European swords. I'd be at a loss to distinguish a Napoleonic AN IX hussar sabre from an AN XI or that Russian sabre that looks like it was copied from one or the other.
I once mistook the Montenegrin Chef de protocole for a German V.I.P. protection agent based on her purposeful stride in her flat-soled shoes, the aggressive manner in which she gripped her handbag, and her "unmistakably Germanic appearance".
The Chantilly-Tiffanie can never be mistaken for a Nebelung, or an Oriental Longhair. Give me an audio recording of the vocalizations of the three cats, and, so long as all three cats are queens, I'll distinguish the Chantilly-Tiffanie sight unseen.
I must say I do agree with what I think is the general spirit of your statement. I do suspect, however, that only my ignorance of "the others" may be the real reason I agree with it so readily.
I was once told by a man who had lived in Merka, that Merkans believe wholeheartedly that Merka is the greatest country in the world because they've never lived anywhere else, nor do they know anything about anywhere else; and why on earth would they want to?

The cultures of many always reflect in their art, food and even to extent, weapons. I admit that the keris has truly reflects the complex culture of the people who inherits it.