Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 22nd March 2020, 04:41 PM   #1
Loedjoe
Member
 
Loedjoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Oxford (UK)
Posts: 96
Default Spear, Sumatra or Java?

Pamor similar to Uler lulut(?), a few millimetres of the tip of the blade missing, exceptionally delicate gold Naga heads on each side of the base of the blade, with topong makhota (crown with ear pieces) and inlaid eyes, gold decoration on the metuk, including tumpal and diamond patterns, and four ovals with a setting for a stone in the centre of each (stones missing).
Dark brown/black wood shaft, a plain spiral carved the whole length.

184 cm, blade 24.5 cm, tang 17 cm, sleeve 15 cm.

Is this Sumatran (I have seen similar pamor on Sumatran keris blades) or Javanese, or...?
Attached Images
  
Loedjoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22nd March 2020, 07:53 PM   #2
kai
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,213
Thumbs up

Hello Tim,

Very nice spear, indeed!

The methuk seems separate? I'd lean towards the Jawa/Bali nexus.

Regards,
Kai
kai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd March 2020, 04:28 AM   #3
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,135
Default

Of the 3, this one is my favorite!

Not helpful but honest.........
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd March 2020, 10:11 AM   #4
Sajen
Member
 
Sajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Germany, Dortmund
Posts: 8,408
Default

Hello Tim,

Very nice spears you have acquired!
Like Kai I would go for Java or Bali for this one.

Regards,
Detlef
Sajen is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd March 2020, 11:30 AM   #5
A. G. Maisey
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,675
Default

No, not Bali, Jawa, I think probably Surakarta but I want check a reference.
A. G. Maisey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd March 2020, 10:08 PM   #6
A. G. Maisey
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,675
Default

Tim, are you able to provide photos of both ends of the shaft so that we can see the form and detail of the ferrule and butt, and a full length photo of the tombak?
A. G. Maisey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25th March 2020, 03:25 PM   #7
Loedjoe
Member
 
Loedjoe's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Oxford (UK)
Posts: 96
Default

Thank you all for your kind comments.

It would be marvellous if it can be assigned to somewhere specific, like Surakarta.

Alan, the attached new pictures are the best I can manage at the moment; I hope there will be just enough for people to see.
Attached Images
  
Loedjoe is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25th March 2020, 09:37 PM   #8
A. G. Maisey
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,675
Default

Thank you Tim.

The metuk of this spear does seem to be Surakarta, the kinatah work appears to be of a quality that would permit a Surakarta origin, as does the pamor work, however, the the garap of the blade is not in my opinion able to be attributed to Surakarta, and the decorative motif is unlike any Surakarta work I have ever seen.

The landeyan is not in even the smallest degree similar to the style of landeyan used on a Surakarta tombak. It is usual for a Surakarta landeyan to swell in the middle and taper to each end, this landeyan does not. A Surakarta landeyan will normally have a brongsong or sopal (a wrapping or tube that functions as a ferrule), and a tunjung of metal (a tunjung is the butt cover). This landeyan does not have a metal tunjung, but the presence of the metal brongsong, which is of a style that would permit a Surakarta attribution, indicates that it should have a tunjung. My feeling is that this landeyan is a European made replacement.

I'm sorry, but I cannot attribute this spear to any origin with any certainty.

I have tried to crop & process the scabbard from this image, in order to see if I can attribute it to a Javanese origin, but the base image is too small to permit this.

EDIT

This landeyan has some rotan wrapping, so maybe it is not of European manufacture, but rather it is a landeyan from a different source that has been married to this brongsong and then fitted to the tombak.

Last edited by A. G. Maisey; 25th March 2020 at 09:52 PM.
A. G. Maisey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25th March 2020, 11:09 PM   #9
kai
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,213
Question

Thanks for your comments,Alan!

Quote:
This landeyan has some rotan wrapping, so maybe it is not of European manufacture, but rather it is a landeyan from a different source that has been married to this brongsong and then fitted to the tombak.
The spiral landeyan is carved (rather than wrapped rattan) according to Tim. This is an unusual feature.

OTOH, I have seen several apparently genuine landeyan that exhibited the distinct swelling near the butt end (possibly covered by a tunjung originally?); maybe this feature could help to narrow down its origin?

Regards,
Kai
kai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26th March 2020, 12:02 AM   #10
A. G. Maisey
Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 6,675
Default

I didn't pick that up Kai, but if it is carved that would in my opinion militate even more strongly against a Surakarta source. Bear in mind, I'm only saying what I believe it cannot be, I'm not floating an opinion with no foundation as to what it could be.

I've seen that swell at the butt of a spear shaft too, but never on a landeyan that I knew to originate in Central Jawa.

Normally when a tunjung is fitted to a Javanese shaft there is a very slight recess in the wood of the shaft to accomodate the thickness of the metal from which the tunjung is made, the tunjung does not stand proud of shaft.
A. G. Maisey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 27th March 2020, 10:55 PM   #11
kai
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 3,213
Default

Thanks, Alan!
kai is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28th March 2020, 07:21 PM   #12
Kubur
Member
 
Kubur's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 2,145
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Loedjoe
Thank you all for your kind comments.

It would be marvellous if it can be assigned to somewhere specific, like Surakarta.

Alan, the attached new pictures are the best I can manage at the moment; I hope there will be just enough for people to see.

Very nice curtain poles
Kubur is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:41 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.