Some questions about Balinese hilt cup.

[Gustav]

Sometimes we encounter a Selut/Mendak construction on Bali Keris, which consists of a stem and a cup. Some questions about it.

Is it an older style, which perhaps had an integrated ring, like South Sumatran Selut or slightly similar constructions from East Java?

Was this style typical for some certain regions in Bali?

There are some older Uwer rings with a short stem. Would they have been parts of such stem/cup construction?

[Gustav]

Yes/perhaps/not likely?

Or no information at all?

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Gustav

Yes/perhaps/not likely?

Or no information at all?

Hello Gustav,

I've noticed this construction a few times before but I can't answer your question, sorry.

Regards,
Detlef

[A. G. Maisey]

Gustav, I did not reply to your questions immediately because I wanted to speak with two Balinese friends who know far more than I do about Balinese keris.

I now have their input.

In your posted image, the keris on the right does look as if it could be Balinese, however, I have never seen this cup-selut arrangement on any Balinese keris. Both my friends were of the opinion that this cup-selut feature was definitely not Balinese, one suggested that somebody who did not understand Balinese keris culture might have had it fitted.

There are some Balinese uwer that have a rather short stem. This short stem is intended to fit up inside the hilt.

I have seen similar cup-stem fittings on South Sumatera keris.

I cannot recall having seen this cup-stem feature, nor anything like it, on Javanese keris, East Javanese nor otherwise.

I have seen a cup fitting without stem on both Bugis & Peninsula keris, one of these cup fittings was a silver coin hammered to a cup shape to fit the bottom of the hilt.

[Gustav]

Sajen, thank you for you response!

[Gustav]

Alan, thank you for your response!

There is a Keris in Jensen's Krisdisk, which I at the beginning thought is a bit strange, with parts of perhaps different age and provenance mixed together.

Some time ago I came across a Keris with similar stem/cup construction, and by chance it has a similar Pendok. The whole thing is most likely from East-Java, but perhaps from Balinese people there, judging by the blade and Kinatah on it.

Then there is a picture of a Sunda(?) Keris, but the fit of hilt and Selut is poor, and the look of that hilt is recent or refurbished.

[Wijaya34]

Here is mine, it looks like it had a stem cup selut before itwas removed by a previous owner, the blade is from java. I was told that the the entire wrangka set originated in west java.
I also attach another keris that features a pendok +topengan similar to mine and a bebondolan like hilt from the met.
And also another keris that i came across a few years ago with a similar pendok, but no stem cup selut.

[Gustav]

Thank you, Wijaya34!

The middle one from previous post was given to MET in 1932, after owners death, so I doubt it also would have been put together by dealer from Jalan Ngagel Tama.