Central Javanese keris for comment

A. G. Maisey · 30th May 2023, 11:17 PM

Detlef, when you get to the final dry, if you are forced to use an oven it might be best to support the blade at the pesi & the tip on oven proof glass, something like a couple of small Pyrex dishes or similar, if you put it onto the bars of an oven shelf they can leave a mark, and the oven very low.

Hair dryers are good too.

Sajen · 31st May 2023, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

Detlef, when you get to the final dry, if you are forced to use an oven it might be best to support the blade at the pesi & the tip on oven proof glass, something like a couple of small Pyrex dishes or similar, if you put it onto the bars of an oven shelf they can leave a mark, and the oven very low.

Hair dryers are good too.

Thank you Alan,
I use normally a hair dryer for something like this.

Regards,
Detlef

Sajen · 6th June 2023, 09:47 PM

Received it, here some first pictures, fast taken with my handphone. Added a mendak.

kai · 6th June 2023, 11:38 PM

Congrats, Detlef, I do like this blade - dhapur as well as pamor!

Also the scabbard looks much better with reversed pendok; neat choice of timber and nice survivor despite the chipping. I guess this can be patched.

Could this blade possibly represent a Madurese take on another keris style?

Regards,
Kai

A. G. Maisey · 7th June 2023, 12:11 AM

No Kai, definitely not Madurese.

In my earlier post I suggested Central Jawa, probably somewhere around Klaten , I've looked at the top pic of the gonjo, this gonjo complies with Mataram form, and that supports my earlier suggestion.

I do not want to revise my initial ideas, it is a very nice keris, not top drawer, but very few keris are.

There is one indicator that places the complete keris into a lower level of quality:- the grain in the quite nicely sculpted wrongko has been incorrectly orientated, it should flow downwards towards the front of the wrongko. This deficiency tells us that it has been made by a lowly ranked tukang wrongko, somebody who really did not know the correct conventions. Or perhaps the material used for the wrongko was unable to support correct orientation, but it was used anyway, & this tells us that the original value of the blade was insufficient to encourage the time & cost of obtaining a better piece of material.

kai · 7th June 2023, 02:40 PM

Thanks, Alan!

Sajen · 7th June 2023, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey

In my earlier post I suggested Central Jawa, probably somewhere around Klaten , I've looked at the top pic of the gonjo, this gonjo complies with Mataram form, and that supports my earlier suggestion.

I do not want to revise my initial ideas, it is a very nice keris, not top drawer, but very few keris are.

There is one indicator that places the complete keris into a lower level of quality:- the grain in the quite nicely sculpted wrongko has been incorrectly orientated, it should flow downwards towards the front of the wrongko. This deficiency tells us that it has been made by a lowly ranked tukang wrongko, somebody who really did not know the correct conventions. Or perhaps the material used for the wrongko was unable to support correct orientation, but it was used anyway, & this tells us that the original value of the blade was insufficient to encourage the time & cost of obtaining a better piece of material.

Thank you Alan for further comments!

May I ask you why the orientation of the wood grain has to look to the other side? Is it possible to give the blade a dhapur? Pamor?
I've cleaned the blade, and at the moment it's drying from WD40. I will post pictures soon.
Regards,
Detlef

A. G. Maisey · 8th June 2023, 12:43 AM

The grain orientation is convention:- ideally the grain should slant down to the front of the atasan, but sometimes the material itself prevents this.

If we use the philosophical interpretation of "why?", it is because a forward slant indicates progression & a positive feeling, a slant towards the back generates a negative feeling.

If we use the Surakarta pakem, dhapur is Jalak Ngore.

I'd prefer to leave pamor comment out of it, there are too many ways to go.

6th June 2023, 09:47 PM	#3
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 9,416	Received it, here some first pictures, fast taken with my handphone. Added a mendak. Attached Images

30th May 2023, 11:17 PM	#1
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	Detlef, when you get to the final dry, if you are forced to use an oven it might be best to support the blade at the pesi & the tip on oven proof glass, something like a couple of small Pyrex dishes or similar, if you put it onto the bars of an oven shelf they can leave a mark, and the oven very low. Hair dryers are good too.

6th June 2023, 11:38 PM	#4
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Congrats, Detlef, I do like this blade - dhapur as well as pamor! Also the scabbard looks much better with reversed pendok; neat choice of timber and nice survivor despite the chipping. I guess this can be patched. Could this blade possibly represent a Madurese take on another keris style? Regards, Kai

7th June 2023, 12:11 AM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	No Kai, definitely not Madurese. In my earlier post I suggested Central Jawa, probably somewhere around Klaten , I've looked at the top pic of the gonjo, this gonjo complies with Mataram form, and that supports my earlier suggestion. I do not want to revise my initial ideas, it is a very nice keris, not top drawer, but very few keris are. There is one indicator that places the complete keris into a lower level of quality:- the grain in the quite nicely sculpted wrongko has been incorrectly orientated, it should flow downwards towards the front of the wrongko. This deficiency tells us that it has been made by a lowly ranked tukang wrongko, somebody who really did not know the correct conventions. Or perhaps the material used for the wrongko was unable to support correct orientation, but it was used anyway, & this tells us that the original value of the blade was insufficient to encourage the time & cost of obtaining a better piece of material.

7th June 2023, 02:40 PM	#6
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Thanks, Alan!

8th June 2023, 12:43 AM	#8
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,085	The grain orientation is convention:- ideally the grain should slant down to the front of the atasan, but sometimes the material itself prevents this. If we use the philosophical interpretation of "why?", it is because a forward slant indicates progression & a positive feeling, a slant towards the back generates a negative feeling. If we use the Surakarta pakem, dhapur is Jalak Ngore. I'd prefer to leave pamor comment out of it, there are too many ways to go.