Lombok keris fullers and age query

[SidJ]

Hi
Do the narrow carved fullers as shown in this keris indicate the age of it? Ie narrow carved fullers are more recent compared to wider carved fullers? Or is this just a Lombok keris feature? Thanks in advance.

[Sajen]

Hi Sid,

I guess it's more a question of quality or of the smith who worked it IMVHO.

Regards,
Detlef

[A. G. Maisey]

Sid, as Detlef has offered, the form of the sogokan in this keris is indicative of the level of skill that the craftsman who made it possessed.

It is not indicative of age of the keris, nor of geographic location of its origin.

[SidJ]

Thanks for your thoughts. Must've taken some skills to carve those narrow grooves so expertly then.

[A. G. Maisey]

It is very difficult to form an opinion on the excellence or otherwise of any work, or product, if one does not already have an understanding of the rules & standards that must be applied to that particular work or product in order for it to classified as "excellent", or as something that is rather less than excellent.

In the creation of a keris there are certain rules that must be applied to the formation of each part of a keris, and there are standards that must be applied to the work that has been carried out in order to complete the keris.

The standards that are applied to the sogokan of a Surakarta keris demand that in order for the work to be deemed to be of the highest standard the proportionate length and form of the sogokan must be within certain parameters, the individual elements of the sogokan must be executed in a way that is in harmony with the other elements of the keris, the sides of each of the channels of the sogokan must be undercut, & the base of each of those channels must be rounded --- as it was taught to me, they must be rounded "like the bottom of a cooking pot".

But this is Surakarta, and these standards are those that are applied to the work of an empu or pandai keris working at the level expected of a craftsman who produces items for royal use. In other words, these rules & standards are at the peak of excellence.

The sogokan under discussion in this thread is not subject to the same rules & standards, it is a simple keris, the product of a village or lower ranked craftsman, quite adequate for its purpose as either a weapon or an item of dress, but not expected to be a work of art. Of its type it might be thought of as an "everyman's keris", suited to its purpose & not expected to be anything other than this.

The photos shown in this post are of the base of a keris that has been made to Surakarta kraton standard, the sogokan is an example of the quality expected in a high level keris.

The sketch is of the cross section of a correctly executed sogokan, please forgive my inadequacy as an artist, but even though this sketch is decidedly rough, it does convey the form that we expect to find in a well executed sogokan.

[SidJ]

Thanks Alan, this is a perfect, easy to understand exposition of what comprises high quality work. I am grateful indeed. I was taking a bit of the mick out of my keris in my earlier comment.