Interesting kris with unknown script
 

I picked up this interesting kris, and I would appreciate some insight.I believe since the bilah and the hulu were made separately it is older. The warangka is very nice with some script on the back; can anyone translate it ?
Thanks

2 more pictures of the writing from a different angle.

Hi Drak. I'm not certain if this is an original ensemble or pieced together at a later date, but the blade is Bali-like and the hilt and sheath looks like a style known from the Balinese communities that settled in Madura, so this one could be all Madura.
I am confused by your statement above as the bilah (blade) and hulu (hilt) will always be separate, unless we are discussing keris sajen which this is not.
:confused: :shrug:
As for the writing, i don't have the knowledge to translate, but even if i did i am not certain that it can be read well enough in your photos for a full translation.

Thanks for your reply and information . The confusion was on my part; I was kind of reaching, so thanks for clearing that up.The pictures were unclear on the writing, but I was hoping someone could pick up a word or two.

Greneng, Blumbangan and the proportions of Gonjo don't look Bali to me. It seems, there is quite small amount of supportable information about earlier blades from Madura, yet this one looks like an older mainland Javanese to me.

I tend to agree with you Gustav, but we should not forget that historically Madura functioned pretty much like a province of Jawa, it is quite common to find old Madura keris in mainland Jawa dress, and old Jawa keris in Madura dress.

How long is the blade on this keris Drak?

Approx. 14" long and 3" wide at it's base.

Thanks. I will follow the consensus on this one then. :)

Actually, the thing I find most interesting about this keris is the pendok.

I don't think it is a marriage, or from any area other than Madura, but it is just as peculiar as the other similar examples we've seen in the past.

The overall style and proportion is not like anything that we could normally recognise as Madura, more like Jogja if anything, but in this example that we have here, it appears that the tip of the pendok swells into a little lump, reminiscent of the kepet that we often find on older Madura pendok.

A peculiar keris.

There is a Pendok of this type, depicted in both book (page 142) and Krisdisk of Karsten Sejr Jensen (Chapter Bali). It is by far more elaborated, in suasa and gold, yet exactly the same typus. The pendok blewah even more resembles Yogya style at the joint with Gambar, yet also has a small Kepet, and is quite huge - the Luk blade in it is 46 cm long. The Banaspati head seems to be made together with Slorok - becouse of this I always thought it would be a later example.

The Yogya influence is almost unbelievable, bot only almost. There is some little information about a Besalen from Kraton Yogya, which settled in East Java in Magetan around 1825-1830. Perhaps also other artisans besides smiths took part at this migration? Any more precise information about it would be very interesting and welcome. And perhaps this wasn't the only one migration.