Identification of keris hilt

rahman · 16th February 2005, 03:36 PM

Dear Alam Shah

Pls take a look at this: ( edited , sorry Rahman links to active auctions are not allowed. )

See any resemblance to your hilt? I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it.

Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi? Can we see a close-up of the inscription?

This is quite obviously a talisman (tangkal/penangkal). Phew! I thought you have a keris used by dukun/bomoh -- that would be mighty stuff.

Alam Shah · 16th February 2005, 04:02 PM

> See any resemblance to your hilt?
Similar, but not the same.
> I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it.
I believe so.

> Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi?
What is Kawi...

> Can we see a close-up of the inscription?
Yup, will put up once I take the shots.

Jan · 16th February 2005, 05:22 PM

Hello, and sorry for coming in late on this one.

The picture shown by Pak Rasdan in the second posting of this thread looks VERY similar to a single metal keris handle that I purchased in Yogya about 4 years ago. I would be happy if Pak Rasdan or Raja Muda wcould remember the title of the book it is in, just to see if it says anything interesting about this particular handle.

My first attempt at taking digital pictures of my handle didn´t work out yet, I will try again later and just give you a quick comment on my version:

It is rather newly made, probably using modern tools.
It is hard to tell from Pak Rasdan´s picture above, but in this version, the old man has very furry eyebrows and a long beard down his chest. Especially face and beard are far more detailed in comparison with other keris sajen that I have seen.
The beard is partly seperated from the chest by three holes drilled through its base. In my case, these were apparently drilled through from left to right - the holes are much more precise on the left side, while the right still shows tiny bits of metal in the rim were the drill came out. I noticed this before buying it, so I never really thought it to be an old handle.
The inside of the hole for the peksi also looks professionally made using modern tools - just too precise and too smooth at the bottom of the hole.
Also, it is not as deep as other peksi holes I have seen, so maybe it would need more fixation than the traditional method - welding ???

Judging from this I would assume that both the hilt of Alam Shah`s keris and my version of it are actually modern-made single hilts that can be either normally attached or maybe even welded to a keris blade to "style it" into a keris sajen.

I will see if I get around to taking some pictures later.

Alam Shah · 16th February 2005, 11:53 PM

On both sides...

Alam Shah · 18th February 2005, 03:21 AM

Jan,
Let's have a look at your piece...

Jan · 20th February 2005, 02:52 PM

And here it is.

rasdan · 23rd February 2005, 05:52 AM

Hi guys,

IMHO these hilts are of recent manufacture. I recently seen another one in Kg. Baru Antique shop KL. It looks down right similar to the example in the book. In Alam Shah's example, i think its an old blade fitted later on with the hilt. The inscription also looks recent as well. I'm not sure if the inscription is Koranic but if it is, it rather ironic to have it on a blade with a putut hilt which is "unislamic".

16th February 2005, 03:36 PM	#1
rahman Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 84	Dear Alam Shah Pls take a look at this: ( edited , sorry Rahman links to active auctions are not allowed. ) See any resemblance to your hilt? I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it. Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi? Can we see a close-up of the inscription? This is quite obviously a talisman (tangkal/penangkal). Phew! I thought you have a keris used by dukun/bomoh -- that would be mighty stuff. Last edited by Rick; 16th February 2005 at 04:55 PM.

16th February 2005, 11:53 PM	#4
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	Inscriptions on the blade...both sides On both sides... Attached Images

18th February 2005, 03:21 AM	#5
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	Another example... Jan, Let's have a look at your piece...

20th February 2005, 02:52 PM	#6
Jan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 8	And here it is. Attached Images Last edited by Jan; 20th February 2005 at 03:38 PM.

16th February 2005, 04:02 PM	#2
Alam Shah Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Singapore Posts: 1,248	> See any resemblance to your hilt? Similar, but not the same. > I wonder if yours is hollow and the peksi fits into it, rather than being welded to it. I believe so. > Is the inscription in Jawi or Kawi? What is Kawi... > Can we see a close-up of the inscription? Yup, will put up once I take the shots.

16th February 2005, 05:22 PM	#3
Jan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Hamburg, Germany Posts: 8	Hello, and sorry for coming in late on this one. The picture shown by Pak Rasdan in the second posting of this thread looks VERY similar to a single metal keris handle that I purchased in Yogya about 4 years ago. I would be happy if Pak Rasdan or Raja Muda wcould remember the title of the book it is in, just to see if it says anything interesting about this particular handle. My first attempt at taking digital pictures of my handle didn´t work out yet, I will try again later and just give you a quick comment on my version: It is rather newly made, probably using modern tools. It is hard to tell from Pak Rasdan´s picture above, but in this version, the old man has very furry eyebrows and a long beard down his chest. Especially face and beard are far more detailed in comparison with other keris sajen that I have seen. The beard is partly seperated from the chest by three holes drilled through its base. In my case, these were apparently drilled through from left to right - the holes are much more precise on the left side, while the right still shows tiny bits of metal in the rim were the drill came out. I noticed this before buying it, so I never really thought it to be an old handle. The inside of the hole for the peksi also looks professionally made using modern tools - just too precise and too smooth at the bottom of the hole. Also, it is not as deep as other peksi holes I have seen, so maybe it would need more fixation than the traditional method - welding ??? Judging from this I would assume that both the hilt of Alam Shah`s keris and my version of it are actually modern-made single hilts that can be either normally attached or maybe even welded to a keris blade to "style it" into a keris sajen. I will see if I get around to taking some pictures later.

23rd February 2005, 05:52 AM	#7
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 369	Hi guys, IMHO these hilts are of recent manufacture. I recently seen another one in Kg. Baru Antique shop KL. It looks down right similar to the example in the book. In Alam Shah's example, i think its an old blade fitted later on with the hilt. The inscription also looks recent as well. I'm not sure if the inscription is Koranic but if it is, it rather ironic to have it on a blade with a putut hilt which is "unislamic".