![]() |
|
![]() |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
|
![]() |
#1 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,818
|
![]()
Its always nice to find the spear heads with the covers, nicer still to find full complete spears.
He is a little detail extract from one sitting here on my desk. Alan, how common was it to have the blades of these spear heads "signed" for want of a better word or perhaps better suited, "engraved" with native script? Gavin |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#2 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 7,035
|
![]()
Uncommon.
I cannot recall seeing a tombak blade with any engraving of text. I do have a couple of tombak from the Mangkunegaraan armoury that have dates on the metuks. I have a Jayasukadgo tombak with heavy kinatah work. I have a couple of "souvenir" type, very poor quality tombak that have been "batiked", ie, letters have been acid etched onto the blade, one of these has Chinese ideographs that read "big man San Po Kong". This sort of thing is common, they come from North Coast and East Jawa, and refer to Cheng Ho (Zheng He), the Chinese commander of the Ming Treasure Fleet that visited Jawa during the Mojopahit era and helped to spread Islam there. They are cheap talismanic things. Most that we see are pretty recently made, very poor quality but genuinely old tombak that have been acid etched after having been waxed to create the letters. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#3 |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,818
|
![]()
Hi Alan,
See below the detail mentioned.... I think better placed here than a new thread unless others think its worth discussing separately or within the Keris forum. Gavin |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#4 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 7,035
|
![]()
I do not recognise the script Gavin, could you post a pic of the full blade?
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#5 | |
Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,818
|
![]() Quote:
Twisted pesi with a small hook to the very end, I suspect the hook was to help keep it in place when resin set? Gavin |
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#6 |
Member
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 7,035
|
![]()
Maybe, or maybe some other reason, it is not usual, so who knows?
Thanks for the pic Gavin, sorry, I cannot pic up anything from that. |
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
#7 |
Member
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 2
|
![]()
I greatly appreciate the very focused information -- it gives me more leads to follow, and confirms my impression that this was originally a 'working' weapon.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
|
|