How to read a greneng

Gustav · 1st August 2017, 02:38 PM

Alan, the ivory hilt I introduced in my last post is quite remote from North Coast Jawa hilts.

It seems to me a little bit reckless to classify every old Keris in European collections with upright Blumbangan as Banten and every old hilt with a demonic figure as North Coast Jawa. It reminds me of Keris experts in Javanese tradition from not so remote past, who classified the same blades from old European collections invariably as Bali - because they didn't fit in their belief system.

Now these Keris, this variation of Greneng, and obviously also the hilt don't fit in your system.

You name this rare form of Greneng "aberrant features found upon keris that were made under Islamic influence" and in #28 you write "These corruptions of form are most definitely not younger forms of keris enhancement. They are clearly, obviously and logically demonstrable corruptions. They do not appear in the Bali keris, and that tells us exactly what they are."

There actually is a quite well published state Keris from South-Bali in Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Col. Nr. 809-99, which has a Greneng, closely related to the variation I presented in my last posts - "It consists of two identical elements with a Ron Dha in the middle. That element is repeated on Jenggot."

Apart from this I have nothing new to add to #29.

1st August 2017, 02:38 PM	#26
Gustav Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Posts: 1,196	Alan, the ivory hilt I introduced in my last post is quite remote from North Coast Jawa hilts. It seems to me a little bit reckless to classify every old Keris in European collections with upright Blumbangan as Banten and every old hilt with a demonic figure as North Coast Jawa. It reminds me of Keris experts in Javanese tradition from not so remote past, who classified the same blades from old European collections invariably as Bali - because they didn't fit in their belief system. Now these Keris, this variation of Greneng, and obviously also the hilt don't fit in your system. You name this rare form of Greneng "aberrant features found upon keris that were made under Islamic influence" and in #28 you write "These corruptions of form are most definitely not younger forms of keris enhancement. They are clearly, obviously and logically demonstrable corruptions. They do not appear in the Bali keris, and that tells us exactly what they are." There actually is a quite well published state Keris from South-Bali in Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, Col. Nr. 809-99, which has a Greneng, closely related to the variation I presented in my last posts - "It consists of two identical elements with a Ron Dha in the middle. That element is repeated on Jenggot." Apart from this I have nothing new to add to #29. Attached Images Last edited by Gustav; 1st August 2017 at 08:42 PM.