For Comment #3

Rick · 2nd April 2019, 09:55 PM

That's a root burl isn't it Alan?
For a moment I thought it might have been Black coral.
I wonder if it was originally carved at the base to fit a cup-like mendak as David's example has.
I haven't seen that particular pendok motif before; it also is very nice.
The wrongko looks like it may have been re-carved a bit at some point.

The dress has some age to it, looks like.
Could you take a guess at the age of the keris?

A. G. Maisey · 2nd April 2019, 10:45 PM

Yes Rick, it is wood, not black coral, and yes, it probably did have a selut at one time.

There's a lot of variation in old pendok motifs Rick, mostly they relate to motifs we find in other craft work, frequently in Batik. I'd need the pendok in my hand to give the motif a name, and I do not have time to look for the keris.

The wrongko probably was cleaned up around the edges, all ladrangs suffer damage with wear, so periodically they get cleaned up and repolished, the shellac on this wrongko is old, I've had the keris itself for over 50 years, so I'd guess that the last time it was re-polished was probably 1930's at least.

I do not remember what keris is in this dress, so I cannot guess the keris age, but the dress is certainly pre-WWII, most likely second half 19th century.

Yes David, I think most people would give this as Madura dress, but the pendok is not typical Madura, and this hilt form seems to crop up in many places, I've seen it mostly on Javanese keris, but also Bali, Madura, Sumatra.

I bought this keris in Australia, before I ever went to Indonesia, the dress is a mixture, but the I seem to recall that the keris is a good fit to the wrongko. I'd be inclined to place it as North Coast, probably Pekalongan and to the East, as a place of origin. Certainly not any kraton wear.

kai · 3rd April 2019, 08:15 AM

Hello Alan,

Thanks for yet another instalment!

Quote:

Certainly not any kraton wear.

This begs the question: Why do you think so?

Only this specific ensemble, based on its possibly mixed origin? (From old quality examples I get the impression that courtly styles along the North coast and on Madura might have been less strictly controlled than in Jawa Tengah; it is possible that many local centres/ports and faster development of different styles throughout time is confounding this impression though.)

Or this wrongko style in general? (From what I've seen, this ladrang type often comes with very well selected wood of high quality; and excellent craftsmanship, too.)

Regards,
Kai

2nd April 2019, 09:55 PM	#1
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,347	That's a root burl isn't it Alan? For a moment I thought it might have been Black coral. I wonder if it was originally carved at the base to fit a cup-like mendak as David's example has. I haven't seen that particular pendok motif before; it also is very nice. The wrongko looks like it may have been re-carved a bit at some point. The dress has some age to it, looks like. Could you take a guess at the age of the keris?

2nd April 2019, 10:45 PM	#2
A. G. Maisey Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 7,048	Yes Rick, it is wood, not black coral, and yes, it probably did have a selut at one time. There's a lot of variation in old pendok motifs Rick, mostly they relate to motifs we find in other craft work, frequently in Batik. I'd need the pendok in my hand to give the motif a name, and I do not have time to look for the keris. The wrongko probably was cleaned up around the edges, all ladrangs suffer damage with wear, so periodically they get cleaned up and repolished, the shellac on this wrongko is old, I've had the keris itself for over 50 years, so I'd guess that the last time it was re-polished was probably 1930's at least. I do not remember what keris is in this dress, so I cannot guess the keris age, but the dress is certainly pre-WWII, most likely second half 19th century. Yes David, I think most people would give this as Madura dress, but the pendok is not typical Madura, and this hilt form seems to crop up in many places, I've seen it mostly on Javanese keris, but also Bali, Madura, Sumatra. I bought this keris in Australia, before I ever went to Indonesia, the dress is a mixture, but the I seem to recall that the keris is a good fit to the wrongko. I'd be inclined to place it as North Coast, probably Pekalongan and to the East, as a place of origin. Certainly not any kraton wear.