The Malay Keris: Artistry in Iron discuss the place of the keris in Malay society, its origins and manufacture, and beliefs associated with it. In a newly-penned introductory essay that accompanies this volume, Ahmat Adam highlights references to the keris and other weapons in classic Malay literature. Most of the articles in this volume first appeared in the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society. The storied Malay keris, with its sinuous, serpentine blade, is an example of craftsmanship that shades into art. Working with bars of iron, blacksmiths forged blades according to prescribed configurations, and used their metalworking skills to create damascene patterns on their surfaces. The hilt and sheath of a keris are themselves works of art. According to tradition, the physical dimensions of a keris determined its value as a weapon. Moreover, Malay literary texts imbued certain keris with special powers that make them especially effective in combat. Once routinely carried in the Malay world for ceremonial purposes and as a weapon, the keris has become a cultural artefact. Museum holdings, private collections, and the regalia of the Sultans contain notable examples, and it retains a role on ceremonial occasions.
The Malay Keris: Artistry in Iron
Compiled by PAUL H. KRATOSKA
MBRAS (Reprint, 2024)
xxix + 260 pages including Bibliography
RM75.00
In stock
Introduction
The Keris and Other Malay Weapons: A Descriptive Account of Their Historical Origins
– Ahmat Adam
PART ONE: THE KERIS
1. T.J. Newbold on the Keris
– T.J. Newbold
2. The Keris and other Malay Weapons
– A. H. Hill
3. Keris Types and Terms
– G. Hodgson
4. Malay Weapons
– Mubin Sheppard
PART TWO: ORIGINS
5. Suggested Origin of the Malay Keris and of the Superstitions Attaching to It
– G.C. Griffith Williams
6. Origin of the Malay Keris
– G.C. Woolley
7. The Malay Keris: Its Origin and Development
– G.C. Woolley
PART THREE: MANUFACTURE
8. On the Malay Method of Colouring Kris and Other Blades with Arsenic
– L. Wray, Jun.
9. Notes on Malay Metal-Work
– Walter Rosenhain
10. Malay Iron Work
– R.O. Winstedt
11. Notes on the Manufacture of Damascened Spear and Knife Blades in the Malay States
– Ivor H.N. Evans
PART FOUR: MEASUREMENT
12. Lucky and Unlucky Keris Measurements
– Ivor H.N. Evans
13. Keris Measurements from North Borneo
– H.G. Keith
14. Keris Measurements
– G.C. Woolley
15. Some Notes on Keris Measurements
– G.M. Laidlaw
16. Some Malay and Aboriginal Charms and Methods of Measuring Weapons
– P.D.R. Wiliams-Hunt
PART FIVE: EXAMPLES
17. Three Early Keris
– R.O. Winstedt
18. A New Book on the Keris
– G.C. Woolley
19. Notes on Two Uncommon Varieties of the Malay Kris
– G.B. Gardner
20. The Keris Sulok or Sundang
– E. Banks
21. An Unusual Keris Majapahit
– Abu Bakar bin Pawanchee
22. Notes on Two Knives in the Pitt Rivers Museum
– G.C. Woolley
23. A Golden Kens Handle from Balingian, Sarawak
– T. Harrison
24. Malay Cannon
– G.C. Woolley
Bibliography
| Weight | 0.437 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 22.9 × 15.3 × 1.6 cm |
| Author(s) | A. H. Hill, Abdul Mubin Sheppard, Abu Bakar Bin Pawanchee, Ahmat Adam, E. Banks, G. C. Griffith Williams, G. M. Laidlaw, Geoffrey Hodgson, George Cathcart Woolley, Gerald Brosseau Gardner, H. G. Keith, Ivor Hugh Norman Evans, L. Wray Jun., Peter Darrell Rider Williams-Hunt, Richard Olaf Winstedt, Thomas John Newbold, Tom Harrisson, Walter Rosenhain |
| Edition | Reprint |
| Format | Paperback |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | |
| Series | |
| Year Published | 2020 |
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