Crowns on Aceh weapons revisited

[Maurice]

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

Well made crowns but relatively simple - a bit less refined and less detailed. Enamal is more coarse, less clear in colour and indeed often missing for the bigger part - maybe they did not have the right procedure yet? And the handles are of the dark type indeed almost always with the stripe carvings. The blades are of high quality - most often laminated. The others have often relatively simple blades that look good but more for status than use in my opinion (although some clearly show signs of use as well).

Regards, Erik

Erik,

Thank you very much for your explanation.

So the sikin with three golden crowns you bought on the last keris-fair this year in Bronbeek where we did meet, could be of the same age. That one also has that kind of less detailed crowns, like the " probably older" rencongs.

But it is a fact that I was thinking often why there were pieces with almost all enamel gone, and pieces with all enamel that intact and very fine in the more refind carvings....
I did see the differences between them, but didn't think further what could be the reason. But I can imagine that age could be the factor!

Regards,
Maurice

[erikscollectables]

Most sikins I have seen are of the less detailed type and little remaining enamal - especially those with three crowns. I have seen one with great detail and perfect enamal in a private collection but it seems to be very rare.
The 3 sikins I have are all more or less of the "simple" type and the one you mention for sure (although it also has gold inlay in the metalwork)

This might have to do that people of status (nobility and local authorities)were still allowed to wear a rencong by the end of the 19th century as it was a part of their status attire. These probably are the later types. The wearing of sikins was already prohibited by that time. According to a source high quality rencong and sikin were already a rare find by 1920 as there was little to no production so mainly heirlooms. Well this is at least my hypothesis based on the info above.

Originally Posted by Maurice

Erik,

So the sikin with three golden crowns you bought on the last keris-fair this year in Bronbeek where we did meet, could be of the same age. That one also has that kind of less detailed crowns, like the " probably older" rencongs.

Regards,
Maurice

[Battara]

Don't know if this will be helpful to the discussion but here is my gold mounted sikim anyway:

[erikscollectables]

Very nice one Battara!

These sikins with triple crown are quite rare in my opinion - and this is what to me seems to be the early variation.

There is also a variation with double golden crowns that only does seem to exist in sikins - I have not seen a rencong yet with that type of crown.

Here pictures of my triple crown and the type of double crown I described above.

Regards, Erik

Originally Posted by Battara

Don't know if this will be helpful to the discussion but here is my gold mounted sikim anyway:

[Battara]

Originally Posted by erikscollectables

Very nice one Battara!

These sikins with triple crown are quite rare in my opinion - and this is what to me seems to be the early variation.

There is also a variation with double golden crowns that only does seem to exist in sikins - I have not seen a rencong yet with that type of crown.
Regards, Erik

Thank you Erik. You may have a point (like the one on top of my head ) and the triple crown may be earlier. Hard to tell since there isn't much research on it.

[erikscollectables]

Indeed there a lots of sources both old and new with descriptions of crowns but none that help place them in time or give details about the "meaning" of the different types of crowns in respect to the wearers.

Originally Posted by Battara

Thank you Erik. You may have a point (like the one on top of my head ) and the triple crown may be earlier. Hard to tell since there isn't much research on it.

[asomotif]

There is also a variation with double golden crowns that only does seem to exist in sikins - I have not seen a rencong yet with that type of crown.

Hi Erik, this picture is of a rentjong in the Bronbeek collection.
I have no exact age, but it looks as old as any of their pieces.