Pamor Udan Mas

A. G. Maisey · 21st May 2012, 10:36 PM

Simple dhapur.

Simple pamor.

Same time period.

Same point of geographic origin.

All blades competently made.

Do we really expect to see any variation?

This is what the appraisal of keris is all about:- they are not supposed to display invention and imagination, they are supposed to display uniformity.

Think about it:- if a keris is produced for local consumption, it needs to be made within very narrow parameters in order to be fitted to a correctly formed and proportioned set of dress. If the maker is working to a uniform pattern in one dimension of his work, its no real big effort to maintain that uniformity.

If you look at a selection of very high quality, but simple, Javanese blades from, say, the PBX era, you will find similar uniformity, even though the makers are different.

When we move from simplicity to complexity, say a dhapur with full ricikan, or a complex twist pamor, yes, there we will find the variation in execution that points to different hands being involved.

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21st May 2012, 10:36 PM	#15
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,019	Simple dhapur. Simple pamor. Same time period. Same point of geographic origin. All blades competently made. Do we really expect to see any variation? This is what the appraisal of keris is all about:- they are not supposed to display invention and imagination, they are supposed to display uniformity. Think about it:- if a keris is produced for local consumption, it needs to be made within very narrow parameters in order to be fitted to a correctly formed and proportioned set of dress. If the maker is working to a uniform pattern in one dimension of his work, its no real big effort to maintain that uniformity. If you look at a selection of very high quality, but simple, Javanese blades from, say, the PBX era, you will find similar uniformity, even though the makers are different. When we move from simplicity to complexity, say a dhapur with full ricikan, or a complex twist pamor, yes, there we will find the variation in execution that points to different hands being involved.