Bugis Celebes Keris / info on age/dapur ?

David · 26th July 2007, 01:02 PM

I would have leaned towards Sulawesi in describing this hilt as well...but then nailing down the origins of various Bugis forms is certainly not my strong suit. Rather than say it may be this or that it would certainly be helpful to those of us who struggle with these identifications to qualify one's opinion with some reasoning (i.e. the way the hilt curves here implies this or the way it is carved there implies that). Of course, better pictures will no doubt help these qualified assessments.
The qualities that determine Bugis sheath origin are much more vague for me than the for hilts. I know Shahrial and Kai Wee have touched on this subject before, but for the most part i still find myself guessing.

Willem, better picture sure would help. I get the feeling that your camera's color balance might be off a bit, since i wouldn't have thought the pendokok was gold at first. Check to see that you are set for the right white balance. If you camera only has auto white balance try shooting on a day when there is brighter light. If you are having problems holding the camera steady try using a tripod. You probably shouldn't try to hand-hold exposures slower that 1/60 of a second. Also know the limitations of your camera. It looks as though you may have taken some pictures that are closer that the camera is able to focus. If so it would be better to back off a bit and then enlarge the photo somewhat in post production by cropping.

26th July 2007, 01:02 PM	#10
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,211	I would have leaned towards Sulawesi in describing this hilt as well...but then nailing down the origins of various Bugis forms is certainly not my strong suit. Rather than say it may be this or that it would certainly be helpful to those of us who struggle with these identifications to qualify one's opinion with some reasoning (i.e. the way the hilt curves here implies this or the way it is carved there implies that). Of course, better pictures will no doubt help these qualified assessments. The qualities that determine Bugis sheath origin are much more vague for me than the for hilts. I know Shahrial and Kai Wee have touched on this subject before, but for the most part i still find myself guessing. Willem, better picture sure would help. I get the feeling that your camera's color balance might be off a bit, since i wouldn't have thought the pendokok was gold at first. Check to see that you are set for the right white balance. If you camera only has auto white balance try shooting on a day when there is brighter light. If you are having problems holding the camera steady try using a tripod. You probably shouldn't try to hand-hold exposures slower that 1/60 of a second. Also know the limitations of your camera. It looks as though you may have taken some pictures that are closer that the camera is able to focus. If so it would be better to back off a bit and then enlarge the photo somewhat in post production by cropping.