Bali keris blade for comment

alexish · 12th June 2017, 09:56 AM

I recently acquired a Balinese keris blade on ebay. It looks old, but due to my inexperience, I am unsure whether it is a recent newly-made piece, or a genuine authentic antique blade. Hence, I enclose pictures of the keris blade for comments.

Can someone advise on its Dhapur and Pakem? I think that the pamor is Ngulit Semangko.

kai · 12th June 2017, 04:38 PM

Hello Alexis,

I might change my mind when examining it personally but it sure does look like an antique Bali blade and also the hilt seems to have some age.

AFAIK, there are no published pakem from any of the Bali courts. This blade sports unusual "floral" elements approx. one third along the blade which probably won't fit in any classification, anyway... Please add well-lit close-ups of the upper as well as basal third of the blade for better analysis!

I doubt we can ascertain the pamor yet - the blade is pretty much covered with speckles of more or less inactive rust and needs a gentle but thorough cleaning, careful polish, and stain... Make sure to not utilize any power tools in the process!

Regards,
Kai

rasdan · 12th June 2017, 05:24 PM

Hi Alexis,

I dont know the dhapur, but I sure do know that I like it a lot. It is a very nice keris. Congrats..

mariusgmioc · 12th June 2017, 07:27 PM

Hello Alexish,

I like the blade but in my oppinion it is a very new blade (meaning less than 10 years old).

But I certainly am not very knowlegeable in this field, and I solely base my oppinion on my experience with other types of antique blades.

Regards,

Marius

alexish · 12th June 2017, 08:38 PM

I bought this Balinese keris from ebay, more than 10 years. I attach pictures of both the blade and sarung.

The blade looks old with a combong on the sogokan. Can someone comment on it's Pakem and Dhapur?

The sheath looks new, and does not appear to be traditional. Am I right?

David · 12th June 2017, 10:47 PM

Alexish, first off let me suggest that when you want to change the subject to a completely new keris it is usually best to begin a new thread. People have hardly commented on the first blade in this thread and already you are introducing another.
As Kai already mentioned, pakem is a guide to acceptable dhapurs from a particular Javanese kingdom. I am not aware of any particular pakem for Balinese courts.
Though i am not certain of its origin, the workmanship and over all garap of this blade does not look Balinese. I might be from Lombok. Given the quality of you images i cannot tell if it has a lot of age or has been artificially aged. The color and character of the blade look suspect to my eye, but again, that could just be the photographs.
I've also never seen a Bali or Lombok sheath with a stem wrap or termination like that. Seems to have possibly been made elsewhere.

Jean · 13th June 2017, 08:51 AM

I agree with David, the hilt and scabbard were recently made and the (Madurese?) blade probably so from the unpolished finish and the ganja with pamor especially. The combong is a common trick for making a recent blade looking old.
Regards

12th June 2017, 09:56 AM	#1
alexish Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 127	Bali keris blade for comment I recently acquired a Balinese keris blade on ebay. It looks old, but due to my inexperience, I am unsure whether it is a recent newly-made piece, or a genuine authentic antique blade. Hence, I enclose pictures of the keris blade for comments. Can someone advise on its Dhapur and Pakem? I think that the pamor is Ngulit Semangko. Attached Images

12th June 2017, 08:38 PM	#5
alexish Member Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 127	Another Balinese blade for comment I bought this Balinese keris from ebay, more than 10 years. I attach pictures of both the blade and sarung. The blade looks old with a combong on the sogokan. Can someone comment on it's Pakem and Dhapur? The sheath looks new, and does not appear to be traditional. Am I right? Attached Images

13th June 2017, 08:51 AM	#7
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	I agree with David, the hilt and scabbard were recently made and the (Madurese?) blade probably so from the unpolished finish and the ganja with pamor especially. The combong is a common trick for making a recent blade looking old. Regards Last edited by Jean; 13th June 2017 at 11:06 AM.

12th June 2017, 04:38 PM	#2
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,215	Hello Alexis, I might change my mind when examining it personally but it sure does look like an antique Bali blade and also the hilt seems to have some age. AFAIK, there are no published pakem from any of the Bali courts. This blade sports unusual "floral" elements approx. one third along the blade which probably won't fit in any classification, anyway... Please add well-lit close-ups of the upper as well as basal third of the blade for better analysis! I doubt we can ascertain the pamor yet - the blade is pretty much covered with speckles of more or less inactive rust and needs a gentle but thorough cleaning, careful polish, and stain... Make sure to not utilize any power tools in the process! Regards, Kai

12th June 2017, 05:24 PM	#3
rasdan Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur Posts: 367	Hi Alexis, I dont know the dhapur, but I sure do know that I like it a lot. It is a very nice keris. Congrats..

12th June 2017, 07:27 PM	#4
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,870	Hello Alexish, I like the blade but in my oppinion it is a very new blade (meaning less than 10 years old). But I certainly am not very knowlegeable in this field, and I solely base my oppinion on my experience with other types of antique blades. Regards, Marius

12th June 2017, 10:47 PM	#6
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,023	Alexish, first off let me suggest that when you want to change the subject to a completely new keris it is usually best to begin a new thread. People have hardly commented on the first blade in this thread and already you are introducing another. As Kai already mentioned, pakem is a guide to acceptable dhapurs from a particular Javanese kingdom. I am not aware of any particular pakem for Balinese courts. Though i am not certain of its origin, the workmanship and over all garap of this blade does not look Balinese. I might be from Lombok. Given the quality of you images i cannot tell if it has a lot of age or has been artificially aged. The color and character of the blade look suspect to my eye, but again, that could just be the photographs. I've also never seen a Bali or Lombok sheath with a stem wrap or termination like that. Seems to have possibly been made elsewhere.