Two kerisses compared

Johan van Zyl · 22nd October 2016, 09:52 AM

Friends, I realise you might think I am embarking on a folly here, but please bear with me. As you already know, I have these two kerisses, a Javanese one and a Bugis from the Straits/Riau areas. Please see the pics, which I hope I have taken and arranged in a clear & big enough form. The question I want to ask you does not revolve around monetary value, neither do I require a valuation of any sort. But I do want to know something about the "worth" of these two items in comparison to one another. By "worth"-comparison I rather mean something like:
1 As genuine antique kerisses they are cultural items which I as their curator must conserve and protect, but can you collectors with knowledge and experience far superior to mine, discern that one of these two might be older than the other? It does not satisfy that I am guessing they are both "mid-nineteenth century". They are too different and not deserving to be simply clumped like that.
2 Would collectors as a group be more inclined to collect or specialise in kerisses of Javanese origin? Or would more collectors be inclined to go for the more ornate hilts of the Bugis-type kerisses?
3 Would the fact that one of my kerisses has a wavy blade, make it more desirable in the eyes of the average keris collector? And in the eyes of the people of keris culture?

Perhaps there is another aspect of keris comparison that I have missed...?
Regards
Johan

22nd October 2016, 09:52 AM	#1
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	Two kerisses compared Friends, I realise you might think I am embarking on a folly here, but please bear with me. As you already know, I have these two kerisses, a Javanese one and a Bugis from the Straits/Riau areas. Please see the pics, which I hope I have taken and arranged in a clear & big enough form. The question I want to ask you does not revolve around monetary value, neither do I require a valuation of any sort. But I do want to know something about the "worth" of these two items in comparison to one another. By "worth"-comparison I rather mean something like: 1 As genuine antique kerisses they are cultural items which I as their curator must conserve and protect, but can you collectors with knowledge and experience far superior to mine, discern that one of these two might be older than the other? It does not satisfy that I am guessing they are both "mid-nineteenth century". They are too different and not deserving to be simply clumped like that. 2 Would collectors as a group be more inclined to collect or specialise in kerisses of Javanese origin? Or would more collectors be inclined to go for the more ornate hilts of the Bugis-type kerisses? 3 Would the fact that one of my kerisses has a wavy blade, make it more desirable in the eyes of the average keris collector? And in the eyes of the people of keris culture? Perhaps there is another aspect of keris comparison that I have missed...? Regards Johan Attached Images