Proper pictures of keris, kris and other SEA archipelago daggers at the ACM

DAHenkel · 25th January 2012, 04:50 PM

As curator of the display I suppose I should comment at least a bit on these...

...the "Moro" pieces in the first few photos were collected in 1902 by a Mr. N.B. Denys. We have no further info on who he was but presumably was a colonial civil servant of sorts. Most were bought in Brunei.

The Bugis keris with the lawe setukel pamor is one of my all time favorite kerises. The batang of the sheath is ever so subtly waisted and the swoop of the sampir is divine.

The burung serindit piece was carved by Tengku Ismail - one of the most attention to detail oriented carvers of all time. It is a masterpiece - Nik Din once told me Ku 'Smail had over 4000 tools in his workshop...talk about detail oriented.

The tajong is one of the best of Nik Din's works...its the whole package from micro to macro - a genuine masterpiece.

The badik Makara is IMO Nik Rashidee's single best work. We're very proud to have it on display.

The Pattani Singabarong is ultra-rare and a singular piece. I've seen others but I've never seen better.

The two "Palembang" pieces are said to have been the property of Pangeran Said Ali, I've found enough info to be sure that he was a historic figure from the mid-19th century from Siak and that he did visit Singapore regularly in the '40s and 50s but I have yet to unearth the original records of how the pieces entered into the collection...btw I think the pendokok of the Jawa Demam hilted example was added later by one of my early predecessors as such examples are usually Peninsular.

Also, I undertand your frustration at the light levels in the galleries but because there are also textiles on display in this gallery we have to be careful where and how much light we use in the displays. Hope you all understand...

Raja Muda · 26th January 2012, 01:00 AM

Wonderful stuff, hope I'll get the chance to snap a few of these kerises on my next visit (not easy to linger when you have a wife hell bent on dragging you back to Orchard Road and a four year old in tow).

Dave,

I wonder if the Sumatra exhibition catalogue is still available? I have a copy, though a friend told me it was sold out by the time he visited the ACM.

My all-time favourite is the grand gold keris of the Johor-Riau-Lingga Sultanate, together with the Cogan. I wonder if the scions of that family (which I know have taken residence in Singapore) managed to catch a glimpse of their fabulous heirloom.

David · 26th January 2012, 02:42 AM

Dave, thanks for filling in some details on these awesome pieces.

Spunjer · 26th January 2012, 04:42 PM

Wow, incredible krises and barungs! The jawi on the fuller gives me the goosebumps... I notice the nicks on one of the barung's edge as well

26th January 2012, 01:00 AM	#2
Raja Muda Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Posts: 100	Permanent Display Wonderful stuff, hope I'll get the chance to snap a few of these kerises on my next visit (not easy to linger when you have a wife hell bent on dragging you back to Orchard Road and a four year old in tow). Dave, I wonder if the Sumatra exhibition catalogue is still available? I have a copy, though a friend told me it was sold out by the time he visited the ACM. My all-time favourite is the grand gold keris of the Johor-Riau-Lingga Sultanate, together with the Cogan. I wonder if the scions of that family (which I know have taken residence in Singapore) managed to catch a glimpse of their fabulous heirloom.

25th January 2012, 04:50 PM	#1
DAHenkel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	As curator of the display I suppose I should comment at least a bit on these... ...the "Moro" pieces in the first few photos were collected in 1902 by a Mr. N.B. Denys. We have no further info on who he was but presumably was a colonial civil servant of sorts. Most were bought in Brunei. The Bugis keris with the lawe setukel pamor is one of my all time favorite kerises. The batang of the sheath is ever so subtly waisted and the swoop of the sampir is divine. The burung serindit piece was carved by Tengku Ismail - one of the most attention to detail oriented carvers of all time. It is a masterpiece - Nik Din once told me Ku 'Smail had over 4000 tools in his workshop...talk about detail oriented. The tajong is one of the best of Nik Din's works...its the whole package from micro to macro - a genuine masterpiece. The badik Makara is IMO Nik Rashidee's single best work. We're very proud to have it on display. The Pattani Singabarong is ultra-rare and a singular piece. I've seen others but I've never seen better. The two "Palembang" pieces are said to have been the property of Pangeran Said Ali, I've found enough info to be sure that he was a historic figure from the mid-19th century from Siak and that he did visit Singapore regularly in the '40s and 50s but I have yet to unearth the original records of how the pieces entered into the collection...btw I think the pendokok of the Jawa Demam hilted example was added later by one of my early predecessors as such examples are usually Peninsular. Also, I undertand your frustration at the light levels in the galleries but because there are also textiles on display in this gallery we have to be careful where and how much light we use in the displays. Hope you all understand...

26th January 2012, 02:42 AM	#3
David Keris forum moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Nova Scotia Posts: 7,218	Dave, thanks for filling in some details on these awesome pieces.

26th January 2012, 04:42 PM	#4
Spunjer Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Witness Protection Program Posts: 1,730	Wow, incredible krises and barungs! The jawi on the fuller gives me the goosebumps... I notice the nicks on one of the barung's edge as well