Surakarta Pendok (Pendhok) Paper

David · 31st January 2019, 04:53 AM

To be honest i only skimmed this paper but it seems very well researched and i do not believe it has been post on this forum yet. I will let other nitpick at the information and perhaps we can determine the veracity of the information contained therein.
http://wacanaseni.usm.my/WACANA%20SE...17/WS_17_4.pdf

A. G. Maisey · 31st January 2019, 06:09 AM

Thank you very much for posting this paper David.

As you have remarked, it is well researched, I have many of the references in the bibliography, I have read others, some I do not know, but the approach to the writing of this paper is certainly academic. It is easy to follow, and in broad terms it gives a very good description of the Solo pendok and how it is produced.

However, it should be understood that the method of production that the writer describes is not universal, it is a method used in one family of craftsmen.

During the 1980's and 1990's I came to know an elderly m'ranggi in Jogja who was the last of his line, he produced the silver sheet used to form the pendok body by beating out a small ingot of silver that had been produced by melting the silver beads that silver comes as. The edges where the pendok was soldered were left very slightly thicker than the rest of the sheet, I forget the exact numbers of blows involved in leaving it thicker, but I do have a record of this and will advise after I have checked. Other craftsmen employ various different ways of doing things.

The "mould" that the writer mentions (sunglon/sanglon) is actually a mandrel around which the sheet is wrapped; a "kikir" is a file.

This is a really good overview of something that I doubt any collectors would know much about, you actually need to know personally, and be trusted by these craftsmen before you get to see this sort of thing. It is simply not in the public arena, it is select knowledge. It would be very easy to be pedantic and pick holes in this paper, but I absolutely will not do this, it is very good as it stands and is a valuable addition to keris literature.

David · 31st January 2019, 01:52 PM

Thanks for your feedback Alan. As you say, this is not the kind of information i believe most collectors have had much exposure to, myself included, but i recognize a well researched paper when i see one. I was, of course, being a bit facetious with my "nitpick" remark. I look forward to giving this more of a serious study in the coming days.

A. G. Maisey · 31st January 2019, 06:36 PM

There are some high quality pendok shown in this paper, I have some of this templek style are really quite exceptional, and I will post some pics, but I'm away from home for about a week, so this will have to wait.

I'll go through this again, very carefully, and see if I can find anything that is outright incorrect, rather than being a variation in opinion or work method or spelling, and if I can, I'll comment.

A. G. Maisey · 1st February 2019, 10:06 PM

I have now looked very closely at this paper.

As I commented in my previous post, it would be very easy to be critical of it. The English has the sense of being a translation, but it is not noted as such; there is a peculiar usage of language, and it is sometimes not possible to know what the correct word should be, we can only guess. The writing has the appearance of being well researched, however, if we look closely at the sources used for research, some of those sources are questionable, and some of the statements that have flowed from the use of those sources seem to be influenced by the ongoing low level conflict between those aligned with Surakarta and those aligned with Yogyakarta. Some parts of the actual process of fabrication have been omitted, or perhaps were missed or misunderstood.

However, all of that petty and pedantic comment should be set to one side.

Nothing like this has been previously attempted, and as an overall description of the process and inclusive background information it is ground breaking work.

One could not use the information provided in this paper to make a pendok, but as an overview of the process involved it does give those with a general interest in the matters addressed a good foundation of understanding.

Jean · 2nd February 2019, 11:27 AM

Frankly I found this paper interesting but some descriptions are not clear, for instance:
. The description of pendok slorok in page 123
. The mention of "galvanising" process in pages 127 & 128
The pictures of the pendok making process are very useful for illustrating the text but they are too small.
The author mentions the name "tangguh nom" (young period) for the Mataram period from 1584 to 1788 (page 118), or from 1614 to 1945 (page 117) but according to the EK for instance tangguh nom-noman or nem-neman rather covers the recent period from mid 19th century to WW2?
I don't feel ready to make a pendok yet

Regards

31st January 2019, 04:53 AM	#1
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,029	Surakarta Pendok (Pendhok) Paper To be honest i only skimmed this paper but it seems very well researched and i do not believe it has been post on this forum yet. I will let other nitpick at the information and perhaps we can determine the veracity of the information contained therein. http://wacanaseni.usm.my/WACANA%20SE...17/WS_17_4.pdf

31st January 2019, 06:09 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	Thank you very much for posting this paper David. As you have remarked, it is well researched, I have many of the references in the bibliography, I have read others, some I do not know, but the approach to the writing of this paper is certainly academic. It is easy to follow, and in broad terms it gives a very good description of the Solo pendok and how it is produced. However, it should be understood that the method of production that the writer describes is not universal, it is a method used in one family of craftsmen. During the 1980's and 1990's I came to know an elderly m'ranggi in Jogja who was the last of his line, he produced the silver sheet used to form the pendok body by beating out a small ingot of silver that had been produced by melting the silver beads that silver comes as. The edges where the pendok was soldered were left very slightly thicker than the rest of the sheet, I forget the exact numbers of blows involved in leaving it thicker, but I do have a record of this and will advise after I have checked. Other craftsmen employ various different ways of doing things. The "mould" that the writer mentions (sunglon/sanglon) is actually a mandrel around which the sheet is wrapped; a "kikir" is a file. This is a really good overview of something that I doubt any collectors would know much about, you actually need to know personally, and be trusted by these craftsmen before you get to see this sort of thing. It is simply not in the public arena, it is select knowledge. It would be very easy to be pedantic and pick holes in this paper, but I absolutely will not do this, it is very good as it stands and is a valuable addition to keris literature.

31st January 2019, 01:52 PM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,029	Thanks for your feedback Alan. As you say, this is not the kind of information i believe most collectors have had much exposure to, myself included, but i recognize a well researched paper when i see one. I was, of course, being a bit facetious with my "nitpick" remark. I look forward to giving this more of a serious study in the coming days.

31st January 2019, 06:36 PM	#4
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	There are some high quality pendok shown in this paper, I have some of this templek style are really quite exceptional, and I will post some pics, but I'm away from home for about a week, so this will have to wait. I'll go through this again, very carefully, and see if I can find anything that is outright incorrect, rather than being a variation in opinion or work method or spelling, and if I can, I'll comment.

1st February 2019, 10:06 PM	#5
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 6,704	I have now looked very closely at this paper. As I commented in my previous post, it would be very easy to be critical of it. The English has the sense of being a translation, but it is not noted as such; there is a peculiar usage of language, and it is sometimes not possible to know what the correct word should be, we can only guess. The writing has the appearance of being well researched, however, if we look closely at the sources used for research, some of those sources are questionable, and some of the statements that have flowed from the use of those sources seem to be influenced by the ongoing low level conflict between those aligned with Surakarta and those aligned with Yogyakarta. Some parts of the actual process of fabrication have been omitted, or perhaps were missed or misunderstood. However, all of that petty and pedantic comment should be set to one side. Nothing like this has been previously attempted, and as an overall description of the process and inclusive background information it is ground breaking work. One could not use the information provided in this paper to make a pendok, but as an overview of the process involved it does give those with a general interest in the matters addressed a good foundation of understanding.

2nd February 2019, 11:27 AM	#6
Jean Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,740	Frankly I found this paper interesting but some descriptions are not clear, for instance: . The description of pendok slorok in page 123 . The mention of "galvanising" process in pages 127 & 128 The pictures of the pendok making process are very useful for illustrating the text but they are too small. The author mentions the name "tangguh nom" (young period) for the Mataram period from 1584 to 1788 (page 118), or from 1614 to 1945 (page 117) but according to the EK for instance tangguh nom-noman or nem-neman rather covers the recent period from mid 19th century to WW2? I don't feel ready to make a pendok yet Regards