Is This A Royal Keris?

Rick · 9th August 2014, 06:18 PM

No doubt they are status pieces .
Seem a bit plain for regalia though .
I would expect to see much more gold incorporated in their dress .

A. G. Maisey · 10th August 2014, 04:40 AM

A "Royal Keris" can in fact be a keris of any level of quality.

Many years ago I had the opportunity on a couple of occasions to handle keris that were kept in the storerooms of the Kraton Surakarta, some of these were pusaka keris, some were keris that had been gifted at times in the past from other rulers or dignitaries, some were just keris about which nothing was known. Almost without exception all these keris were pretty ordinary.

On the other hand, the keris that are worn by high ranking members of the Kraton hierarchy are almost always very good keris. I have two Balinese keris that were once the property of one of the Balinese rulers, both these are quite exceptional in terms of quality and value, but even so, a wealthy person could put together a keris of similar quality and value, it would not necessarily need to be a member of the royal family who put it together.

This Palembang keris is a fairly frequently seen pattern, I have a couple myself, and I sold one not all that long ago. I believe something like this would probably have been owned by a wealthy man, rather than by royalty.

Battara · 11th August 2014, 03:51 AM

Thank you both for your insights. You have confirmed some of my suspicions and cleared up other issues.

Roland_M · 20th February 2015, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Battara

Thank you both for your insights. You have confirmed some of my suspicions and cleared up other issues.

Hello,
i have read, that the silver scabbard of Royal Keris is often painted in red. I have found some tiny remains of red color on my example and hope for a good sign.

Kind regards Roland

David · 20th February 2015, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Roland_M

Hello,
i have read, that the silver scabbard of Royal Keris is often painted in red. I have found some tiny remains of red color on my example and hope for a good sign.

Kind regards Roland

Well Roland, feel free to post photos of this keris if you choose, but i would not get your hopes up that your keris has a court origin based solely upon any tiny remains of red color on your sheath.

DAHenkel · 23rd February 2015, 11:07 AM

At least in the Malay context, the presence of gold in a keris is a fairly good indicator that the piece was at least meant for noble wear. Early textual accounts usually proscribe wear of gold for anyone other than the ruler and those who were granted the favor to wear gold by the ruler. Later on, particularly by the early 20th century this seems to have been relaxed somewhat although only to the point where people who could afford gold could have it and in the colonial period that wasn't many people.

That said though the traditional aesthetic was commonly quite low key, with only major 'state level' keris being fully covered in gold. Authentic, provenanced examples of such keris are very rare and most are in museum collections. One must also remember that several Islamic schools of thought proscribe the wear of gold by males, which could be problematic depending on which set of rules and how willing one was to bend them.

Many high quality keris with just a bit of gold exist and many of these would have been the possessions of the nobility (bangsawan) the quality can be measured not merely by the presence of gold fittings but also finely worked and better quality materials overall. Indeed often one finds very good keris with missing or lower quality fittings that are obvious replacements for high value (gold, silver, gem-set) ones sold off for ready cash.

This also doesn't even begin to account for a completely different and parallel set of "aesthetics" for talismanic or amuletic keris which were meant to look old and time worn.

Today modern keris makers (and many fakers) are blowing up the traditional boundaries and making quite garish, often poorly crafted pieces with gold (or silver and gilded silver) fittings to try to emulate the great state pieces. This I fear skews the traditional aesthetic. I fear that fewer collectors and enthusiasts in the future will be able to recognize and celebrate the understated beauty of older pieces and most will only recognize the inherent value of the raw materials involved.

Gavin Nugent · 2nd March 2015, 10:02 AM

Battara,

Here is a Royal Malay keris from my collections for viewing in part. Similar images on Face Book for those who follow there.

I have shared it with several privately, it is one that is well received by visitors.

As Mr Henkel mentions, beyond the gold there are often special features too...in this instance note the different faces with completely different, separate and important features, including the perfect 25 luk.

Gavin

2nd March 2015, 10:02 AM	#7
Gavin Nugent Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 2,818	Battara, Here is a Royal Malay keris from my collections for viewing in part. Similar images on Face Book for those who follow there. I have shared it with several privately, it is one that is well received by visitors. As Mr Henkel mentions, beyond the gold there are often special features too...in this instance note the different faces with completely different, separate and important features, including the perfect 25 luk. Gavin Attached Images

9th August 2014, 06:18 PM	#1
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,347	No doubt they are status pieces . Seem a bit plain for regalia though . I would expect to see much more gold incorporated in their dress .

10th August 2014, 04:40 AM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	A "Royal Keris" can in fact be a keris of any level of quality. Many years ago I had the opportunity on a couple of occasions to handle keris that were kept in the storerooms of the Kraton Surakarta, some of these were pusaka keris, some were keris that had been gifted at times in the past from other rulers or dignitaries, some were just keris about which nothing was known. Almost without exception all these keris were pretty ordinary. On the other hand, the keris that are worn by high ranking members of the Kraton hierarchy are almost always very good keris. I have two Balinese keris that were once the property of one of the Balinese rulers, both these are quite exceptional in terms of quality and value, but even so, a wealthy person could put together a keris of similar quality and value, it would not necessarily need to be a member of the royal family who put it together. This Palembang keris is a fairly frequently seen pattern, I have a couple myself, and I sold one not all that long ago. I believe something like this would probably have been owned by a wealthy man, rather than by royalty.

11th August 2014, 03:51 AM	#3
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,310	Thank you both for your insights. You have confirmed some of my suspicions and cleared up other issues.

23rd February 2015, 11:07 AM	#6
DAHenkel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	At least in the Malay context, the presence of gold in a keris is a fairly good indicator that the piece was at least meant for noble wear. Early textual accounts usually proscribe wear of gold for anyone other than the ruler and those who were granted the favor to wear gold by the ruler. Later on, particularly by the early 20th century this seems to have been relaxed somewhat although only to the point where people who could afford gold could have it and in the colonial period that wasn't many people. That said though the traditional aesthetic was commonly quite low key, with only major 'state level' keris being fully covered in gold. Authentic, provenanced examples of such keris are very rare and most are in museum collections. One must also remember that several Islamic schools of thought proscribe the wear of gold by males, which could be problematic depending on which set of rules and how willing one was to bend them. Many high quality keris with just a bit of gold exist and many of these would have been the possessions of the nobility (bangsawan) the quality can be measured not merely by the presence of gold fittings but also finely worked and better quality materials overall. Indeed often one finds very good keris with missing or lower quality fittings that are obvious replacements for high value (gold, silver, gem-set) ones sold off for ready cash. This also doesn't even begin to account for a completely different and parallel set of "aesthetics" for talismanic or amuletic keris which were meant to look old and time worn. Today modern keris makers (and many fakers) are blowing up the traditional boundaries and making quite garish, often poorly crafted pieces with gold (or silver and gilded silver) fittings to try to emulate the great state pieces. This I fear skews the traditional aesthetic. I fear that fewer collectors and enthusiasts in the future will be able to recognize and celebrate the understated beauty of older pieces and most will only recognize the inherent value of the raw materials involved.