Tridacna hilted Keris choices

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Sajen

Hi Gav,

it's funny, last year I bought by e-bay a similar combination, a javanese keris/sheath with a (I think) sumatran hilt from Tridacna, here the link: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8990

How can it happen that you find combinations like this? We have had discussions at this place many times. Collectors may have done this or dealer also. But I have seen this also on old pictures. So it's nearby that this mix maybe have been done long time ago in Indonesia or Peninsula by what reason however.
Do you have a provenance for this pieces in question?
A picture from up to the sheath-mouth would be nice to see how the blades fit inside will show if the scabbard is worked for the blade.

Hi Detlef,

Interesting that you also found this combination, especially in old pictures.
Speculation could run away with me if thinking about how these all came to be together. The provenance is none. These came from an old German estate some time back.
The fitting as you will see in images below is not correct to me eye. One close but no prize to me.
What I do find of interest is the base of the hilts. Where say the examples from the Kelling Hall collection I have, that I know have been together complete for near 100years (maybe a fair bit older too) and I would suspect based on this are original to the pieces from the period, these three are rounded to the base and sit in the cup of their Mendak. The two here have a 'flattened' base and sit by design on top of their Mendak...

Gav