Important Collection of Antique Asian Arms
Lot 243:
Keris from the Minangkabau often resemble in form the Bugi style keris ofSulawesi. The classic form of the Minankabau keris has a pistol grip shaped hilt called a kerdasand which is also found on Bugis keris. Keris dagger such as this example were referred to as akarih by the Minangkabau. They were worn for ceremonial purposes as a sign of power andprestige and were designed to slip into a manas waist band. That there were similarities acrossBugis and Minakabau and other Peninsular keris is understandable as the seafaring peoples of theCelebes would have traveled throughout the archipelago and styles would have co-mingledconsiderably. This is why there is no specific Bornean keris style as the long coastline wasexposed to many different styles of keris throughout Indonesia. This is also why on a keris onecan find features from different parts of the region, with a handle form one of region, a selut andmendak of another, a blade form elsewhere, and a scabbard from another region. The best way toassign regional assignations is by looking at the handle, sheath, and blade in that order and seewhat elements point to specific regions.This old example is finely made and has a carved en suite hilt and scabbard fittings. The blade isa 3 luk variant of a Sumatran form. The mendok is a Sumatran cup form. The scabbard ismounted with a classic Sumatran tengah style wrangka in the Sumatran Minangkabau form. Asis common on Sumatra keris, there is no discernible pamor pattern, as opposed to keris found inJava and Bali.Overall 19th century to early 20th century.Total Length (inside scabbard if present) : 12" Blade Length : 8 1/2"References:1. Frey, E. (1988) The Kris: Mystic Weapon of the Malay World. Oxford University Press.2. Mardianto, W. A to Z Sesuatu mengenai KERIS dan TOMBAK KERIS SENJATATRADISIONAL INDONESIA A to Z3. Ki Empu Jhuel. Pamor Keris4. Ghiringelli. V. (2007) The Invincible Krises 2. Saviolo Publisher5. Van Zonneveld, A.G. (2001) Traditional Weapons of the Indonesian Archipelago.Leiden: Art Books6. Gardner, G.B. (2009) Keris and other Malay Weapons. Orchid Press7. Weihrauch, A., Kloubert, U. and Aljunied, A. (2017)The Gods & the Forge: BalineseCeremonial Blades- The Gods & the Forge in a Cultural Context. IFICAH8. Maisey, A. Dhapur and pamor according to Djeno Harumbrojo, Jogjakarta.Kerisattosanaji.Detailed condition reports are not included in this catalog. For additional information, including condition reports, please contact us at [email protected]
Share this lot:
