Pamor thread?

A. G. Maisey · 28th March 2022, 09:40 PM

Yes Milandro, you're dead right, names of pamors --- and other things --- do vary from place to place & time to time.

But there is another factor too, one that is frequently overlooked, or maybe not even recognised outside the central core of keris people in Solo, possibly in other places also, but what I know for certain is Solo.

The importance of a pamor pattern in a keris is not nearly as important as the quality of craftsmanship, ie, "garap", in the appraisal and understanding of a keris.

Whereas for probably the majority of keris collectors outside the heartlands of Jawa, the pamor motif is the first thing they see and perhaps the most important thing they consider, for that hard core of keris connoisseurs, there are other things that come first in the appraisal of a keris.

Bob A · 29th March 2022, 01:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

The importance of a pamor pattern in a keris is not nearly as important as the quality of craftsmanship, ie, "garap", in the appraisal and understanding of a keris.

Whereas for probably the majority of keris collectors outside the heartlands of Jawa, the pamor motif is the first thing they see and perhaps the most important thing they consider, for that hard core of keris connoisseurs, there are other things that come first in the appraisal of a keris.

How might one allow for the wear and tear of decades or centuries of the corrosive effects of time and treatment of a keris, in judging the workmanship of the blade?

A. G. Maisey · 29th March 2022, 03:30 AM

Good question Bob, but that question moves us from a simple matter of prioritisation of one element of appraisal to complete appraisal of all relevant factors.

I know two ways in which to appraise a keris, and we are talking only the keris itself, only the blade, the dress is not considered in this exercise. The reason for this is that it is the keris that is considered to be the way in which wealth can be stored, the dress is not thought of in the same way.

The first way is:- sepuh - wutuh - tangguh = age, condition, style/features

sepuh = old, wutuh = whole, unbroken, tangguh = characteristics (in this context)

you will notice that when we get into the world of the experts, the ahli keris, that word "tangguh" tends to have a different understanding attached to it than the understanding that is current with many people today.

To understand this better it is worth noting the Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo(Alm.) who was a late 20th century maker working in Surakarta and who held a position in the Surakarta Karaton hierarchy gave the tangguh of the keris he made as "Mataram", not "Surakarta", although he worked in Surakarta, and not 'Kamardikan" although he worked during the period following Merdeka.

He described his keris as "tangguh Mataram" because they bore the features of a keris that was able to be classified as Mataram.

So, in a typically Javanese fashion the word "tangguh" means exactly what you want it to mean, no more, and no less. ( I have been told by people who should know what they are talking about, that Humpty Dumpty was actually born in Klaten, Central Jawa, and only moved to Wonderland later in life).

The second, more modern approach to appraisal is :-

morjasirapngun = pamor, waja(steel), wesi(iron), rap (garap), wangun(appearance/shape)

I was taught that this second way is one that was invented in the market place, mainly because it is easier to manipulate to create a favourable impression.

During the 1980's & 1990's the advanced people whom I knew only ever used the sepuh/wutuh/tangguh base for appraisal, but what needs to be understood is this, each of these component parts link together and incorporate other ideas. For example, "sepuh" relates to how old the keris is, but then the characteristics of the keris, including its form, its craftsmanship & its characteristics including its "feeling" relate to "tangguh", the idea of "wutuh" relates to its state of preservation, and that state of preservation encompasses the perceived age. The whole process is circular, which once again epitomises Javanese thinking.

Put into simple terms, we cannot use the same parameters for the appraisal and thus the value base of a Surakarta period keris and a Mataram period keris.

Then there is the concept of "honour".

Not all periods have the same degree of "honour" in Javanese thought, for instance, Majapahit was the Golden Age, it is drenched in honour. Kartosuro is an era of little or no honour. As PBII said after the Kartosuro kraton had been sacked:-

"I will not sit on a throne that has been defiled by dogs".

So the honour attached to any period has a value too:- a pristine Kartosuro keris is, because of its period of origin, worth less than a Majapahit keris that is not in particularly good condition.

The short answer to your question Bob, is that the whole point of appraisal is to establish value, if a blade has not travelled well, then after other factors have been considered, it is worth less than a blade with similar age and the same tangguh but that is better preserved.

JustYS · 29th March 2022, 06:41 AM

Hi Alan,

What is the order of importance in morjasirapngun?

Is garap the most important and pamor the least important?

Thank you

A. G. Maisey · 29th March 2022, 07:21 AM

The perspective can change YS.

If I adopt Pak Parman's perspective, I think that perhaps the most important single thing is the thing that is not mentioned:- honour.

But when it comes to what we can see, Pak Parman, and as far as I was able to discern, all his friends & associates placed garap above everything else, but we need to understand that the idea of "garap" does not refer just to the sculpting, it also refers to the way in which the pamor was handled, for example, well handled wos wutah is always preferable to badly handled ron duru.

However, never lose sight of the fact that this is appraisal, that is, the objective is to fix a market price, and that market price must reflect the potential value of the investment, thus the final figure reached by the appraisal is always a balance of all elements concerned.

My own way of thinking of this is in real estate terms:- best house in the worst street or worst house in the best street, and that depends upon what we can identify as the "street" that the keris is in.

This is a decision making process, the guidelines are just that:- guidelines, it does not mean that those guidelines are graven in stone.

Bob A · 29th March 2022, 05:11 PM

My question above was intended to consider how to evaluate garap in light of the effects of time and use on a blade, rather than as a determination of monetary value. (It would have behooved me to take a more literal approach to "appraisal"). Sculpting would seem to be compromised over time; my supposition is that deterioration would make the evaluation more difficult.

I presume garap would include elements beyond the sculpting of the blade; would those elements still be capable of evaluation over time's deterioration, and how would that be approached in the cultural context?

28th March 2022, 09:40 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Yes Milandro, you're dead right, names of pamors --- and other things --- do vary from place to place & time to time. But there is another factor too, one that is frequently overlooked, or maybe not even recognised outside the central core of keris people in Solo, possibly in other places also, but what I know for certain is Solo. The importance of a pamor pattern in a keris is not nearly as important as the quality of craftsmanship, ie, "garap", in the appraisal and understanding of a keris. Whereas for probably the majority of keris collectors outside the heartlands of Jawa, the pamor motif is the first thing they see and perhaps the most important thing they consider, for that hard core of keris connoisseurs, there are other things that come first in the appraisal of a keris.

29th March 2022, 03:30 AM	#3
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	Good question Bob, but that question moves us from a simple matter of prioritisation of one element of appraisal to complete appraisal of all relevant factors. I know two ways in which to appraise a keris, and we are talking only the keris itself, only the blade, the dress is not considered in this exercise. The reason for this is that it is the keris that is considered to be the way in which wealth can be stored, the dress is not thought of in the same way. The first way is:- sepuh - wutuh - tangguh = age, condition, style/features sepuh = old, wutuh = whole, unbroken, tangguh = characteristics (in this context) you will notice that when we get into the world of the experts, the ahli keris, that word "tangguh" tends to have a different understanding attached to it than the understanding that is current with many people today. To understand this better it is worth noting the Empu Pauzan Pusposukadgo(Alm.) who was a late 20th century maker working in Surakarta and who held a position in the Surakarta Karaton hierarchy gave the tangguh of the keris he made as "Mataram", not "Surakarta", although he worked in Surakarta, and not 'Kamardikan" although he worked during the period following Merdeka. He described his keris as "tangguh Mataram" because they bore the features of a keris that was able to be classified as Mataram. So, in a typically Javanese fashion the word "tangguh" means exactly what you want it to mean, no more, and no less. ( I have been told by people who should know what they are talking about, that Humpty Dumpty was actually born in Klaten, Central Jawa, and only moved to Wonderland later in life). The second, more modern approach to appraisal is :- morjasirapngun = pamor, waja(steel), wesi(iron), rap (garap), wangun(appearance/shape) I was taught that this second way is one that was invented in the market place, mainly because it is easier to manipulate to create a favourable impression. During the 1980's & 1990's the advanced people whom I knew only ever used the sepuh/wutuh/tangguh base for appraisal, but what needs to be understood is this, each of these component parts link together and incorporate other ideas. For example, "sepuh" relates to how old the keris is, but then the characteristics of the keris, including its form, its craftsmanship & its characteristics including its "feeling" relate to "tangguh", the idea of "wutuh" relates to its state of preservation, and that state of preservation encompasses the perceived age. The whole process is circular, which once again epitomises Javanese thinking. Put into simple terms, we cannot use the same parameters for the appraisal and thus the value base of a Surakarta period keris and a Mataram period keris. Then there is the concept of "honour". Not all periods have the same degree of "honour" in Javanese thought, for instance, Majapahit was the Golden Age, it is drenched in honour. Kartosuro is an era of little or no honour. As PBII said after the Kartosuro kraton had been sacked:- "I will not sit on a throne that has been defiled by dogs". So the honour attached to any period has a value too:- a pristine Kartosuro keris is, because of its period of origin, worth less than a Majapahit keris that is not in particularly good condition. The short answer to your question Bob, is that the whole point of appraisal is to establish value, if a blade has not travelled well, then after other factors have been considered, it is worth less than a blade with similar age and the same tangguh but that is better preserved.

29th March 2022, 06:41 AM	#4
JustYS Member Join Date: Apr 2019 Posts: 145	Hi Alan, What is the order of importance in morjasirapngun? Is garap the most important and pamor the least important? Thank you

29th March 2022, 07:21 AM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,992	The perspective can change YS. If I adopt Pak Parman's perspective, I think that perhaps the most important single thing is the thing that is not mentioned:- honour. But when it comes to what we can see, Pak Parman, and as far as I was able to discern, all his friends & associates placed garap above everything else, but we need to understand that the idea of "garap" does not refer just to the sculpting, it also refers to the way in which the pamor was handled, for example, well handled wos wutah is always preferable to badly handled ron duru. However, never lose sight of the fact that this is appraisal, that is, the objective is to fix a market price, and that market price must reflect the potential value of the investment, thus the final figure reached by the appraisal is always a balance of all elements concerned. My own way of thinking of this is in real estate terms:- best house in the worst street or worst house in the best street, and that depends upon what we can identify as the "street" that the keris is in. This is a decision making process, the guidelines are just that:- guidelines, it does not mean that those guidelines are graven in stone.

29th March 2022, 05:11 PM	#6
Bob A Member Join Date: Feb 2014 Posts: 435	My question above was intended to consider how to evaluate garap in light of the effects of time and use on a blade, rather than as a determination of monetary value. (It would have behooved me to take a more literal approach to "appraisal"). Sculpting would seem to be compromised over time; my supposition is that deterioration would make the evaluation more difficult. I presume garap would include elements beyond the sculpting of the blade; would those elements still be capable of evaluation over time's deterioration, and how would that be approached in the cultural context?