Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Keris Warung Kopi

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 13th August 2024, 11:39 AM   #121
HughChen
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2024
Location: China
Posts: 125
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey View Post
I'm going to stay out of this discussion, for a while, anyway, as I put the questions.

However, on the subject of keris used as items of formal dress. These are very often just pieces of flat iron that are used to hold the dress together. I've even seen cardboard used to hold dress together.

The standards that collectors in the western world use to judge a keris are not often used used by people in Jawa who need a dress keris. It most often comes down to what they can afford. At a grassroots level, all current production is directed at the local market. Keris sold to collectors in foreign lands are not really any sort of special or dedicated production.
Hell, Maisey. As you said all current production is directed at the local market, I heared that in 1900s, many Keris were produced specially and deliberately for export to Europe. Is that really?
HughChen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15th August 2024, 10:19 AM   #122
A. G. Maisey
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,872
Default

I do not believe that we should lump the entire 20th century into one basket.

Pre-WWII tourism does seem to have resulted in the production of not only keris, but many types of ethnographic artefacts that were intended for sale to visitors to the old Dutch East Indies.

During the period between more or less 1940 & 1950 there were probably a very few keris made and these would have been intended exclusively for local use.

The revival of keris culture began in the late 1960's or early 1970's, as it has progressed it is probably true that all actual making of keris has been for local consumption, every Javanese man who wishes to dress in formal attire must wear a keris, so this local need for keris is the biggest single factor in keris production.

But not all keris made were prepared for sale to only the local market, nor were keris produced only as items of formal attire. The collector market in Indonesia is extremely active, many keris were & are prepared for this market. Some keris were & are made as sophisticated works of art.

In fact, the market for keris outside Indonesia is something that receives very little attention from Indonesian craftsmen & dealers, the local market is where the money is.

Visitors to Indonesia who wish to take one or more keris home to their own country with them face quite a few hurdles, so sales to tourists are now so few that general dealers who once sold keris now focus on more easily transportable items.
A. G. Maisey is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 15th August 2024, 02:39 PM   #123
HughChen
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2024
Location: China
Posts: 125
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by A. G. Maisey View Post
I do not believe that we should lump the entire 20th century into one basket.

Pre-WWII tourism does seem to have resulted in the production of not only keris, but many types of ethnographic artefacts that were intended for sale to visitors to the old Dutch East Indies.

During the period between more or less 1940 & 1950 there were probably a very few keris made and these would have been intended exclusively for local use.

The revival of keris culture began in the late 1960's or early 1970's, as it has progressed it is probably true that all actual making of keris has been for local consumption, every Javanese man who wishes to dress in formal attire must wear a keris, so this local need for keris is the biggest single factor in keris production.

But not all keris made were prepared for sale to only the local market, nor were keris produced only as items of formal attire. The collector market in Indonesia is extremely active, many keris were & are prepared for this market. Some keris were & are made as sophisticated works of art.

In fact, the market for keris outside Indonesia is something that receives very little attention from Indonesian craftsmen & dealers, the local market is where the money is.

Visitors to Indonesia who wish to take one or more keris home to their own country with them face quite a few hurdles, so sales to tourists are now so few that general dealers who once sold keris now focus on more easily transportable items.
Thank you, Maisy. So in conclusion, in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, there were probably more keris supplied to Western exotic enthusiasts, while in the second half of the 20th century, after World War II, keris were mainly supplied to the local market. Is that correct?
HughChen is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 08:57 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.