Balinese/Lombok Keris for comments

[David]

Originally Posted by Jean

Few observations & questions but not conclusions about Athanase's kris:
. The sunggingan sampir appears quite recently painted?
. Yes, the blade has some Bali/ Lombok features such as the twin lambe gajah, groove on the front of the ganja, ganja wulung, etc. but what about the pamor pattern and blade surface?
. Any reason for such a short blade size? (it does not seem to have been significantly shortened). How does it fit into the scabbard slot?
. Since at least the 1990's, the krisses from Bali/ Lombok fetch much higher prices than the Javanese ones for the tourists so it is common to fit Javanese blades into Balinese scabbards for increasing their market value.
. Are the Sasak from Lombok wearing the kris high in the back like the Balinese?
Regards

Good questions Jean.
Yes, the blade certainly has Bali/Lombok indicators. As i said earlier, i would more suspect Lombok. The keris is old, but from what i can see in the photos it still looks like a it once had a polished Bali surface. And the way the gonjo is cut and the quality/look of the iron reminds me very much of an old (and short) Lombok keris i once owned.
True, we cannot see the fit. But if you are trying to figure out what such a short blade is doing in a normal sized Bali scabbard i can refer you to my own example as a precedent. True, i have not shown many photos, but you can clearly see the fit that my short blade has in its long sarong so obviously it has been done for whatever reason. It was just a guess on my part that might have something to due with how the keris is worn as a part of over all dress, but i am certainly open to other ideas.
I am not at all sure why you believe the sampir has been recently painted. It shows very clear signs of what looks like natural wear over a long period of time.