Hamengkubuwono VII Kraton Keris

The kraton of Yogyakarta is the royal palace complex of the Sultanate of Yogyakarta, located in the heart of Central Java. More than just a residence for the Sultan, the kraton is a living cultural center, a place where Javanese traditions, arts, and court rituals are preserved and practiced to this day.

Within the kraton, the quality of the keris is of significant importance and precious materials such as ivory, pellet or other precious sorts of wood, gemstones and gold are commonly used to present status belonging to the higher ranks.

Our example:

A very fine Sangkelat (dapur) keris with kraton mountings, dating from the period of Hamengkobuwono VII (reigned from 1877 until 1921). The keris is forged with a very fine Bras Wutah Tretep (rice grain amongst aren leaves) pamor. The blade has 13-luk which is typical for the Sangkelat dapur, which stands for ‘angry’ or ‘upset’.

The hilt is in typical Yoga style in a fine kemuning wood with stylized patra. The selut is made of gilded silver filled with inten (rough diamond cuts). The dress consists of a fine ‘larding’ warangka and is made of a precious pellet wood. The pendok (sheath) is made of ‘suasa’ a copper-gold alloy, often used on higher keris. This pendok was likely covered in red lacquer, a common kraton feature which was assigned to the royal household. The slorok (mid section of the scabbard) is made of 9 karat gold and represents a ‘semen’ motif, placed on a baitong strip.

Photo portrait of Sultan Hamengkubuwono VII in military uniform. Source: Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde.