PBX

[kai]

Hello Kulino,

Welcome to the actively participating forumites! (Sorry for coming in on this thread a bit late.)

I would like to share with you a keris which is dear to me. It is a type of sadjen but a special one. Large and the handle is different.

Thanks for showing this really nice keris sajen - I do like it! Could you please show a pic of the hilt from the side? It does look like only the torso is being shown here (with the usually bent legs being omitted), doesn't it?

Any comments from Theo Alkema on this piece?

The sheat shows a couple of lacquered seals showing the coat of arms of PBX. It used to be completely covered with these seals. Traces of them can still be seen all along the sheat, front and back.

Are you sure that the red dots along the scabbard are really sealing wax rather than older paint? I'd have guessed that the black and red was old and worn sunggingan and that the seal got placed on the scabbard much later, possibly to "prove" the keraton connection (their placement at the back of the scabbard would not only pretty much obligate any wear of the keris (for which it was never meant) but also make hanging or storing it more difficult. It does look as if the lacquered surface next to the seals got affected by the heat.

I examined the blade itself and found that it used to be completely covered with gold. Traces of that can be seen all along the blade, front and back, including the handle.
No idea about its age. It most certainly is much older than the PB X era. It takes a long time to loose al that gold from the metal skin.....

This certainly does not look like the usual kinatah. From the close-up it seems that the little specks of gold sit in tiny crevices or on top of the patina. This would suggest it being added much later; fully covering a blade with leaf gold is fairly easy and not terribly expensive - it also rubs off quite fast. Without any sound provenance to rely on, it will be very tough to establish the real age of this keris or when (or for what reason) the gold got applied.

OTOH, I don't think this really matters: It is a really good example of its type coming with an old, interesting scabbard - congrats!

Regards,
Kai