(Lagerstroemia speciosa) (above) and the angsana (Pterocarpus indicus) (below) both have decorative grains which make them highly suitable for keris sheaths. When polished, the bongor has a striped appearance, described as jalur. In contrast, the angsana, a wayside flowering tree, possesses a subtle grain which when polished gives a rippled effect, known as kerinting, much like watered silk.
Types of Wood Used in Malay Woodcarving
Literally hundreds, if not thousands, of types and species of trees are found throughout the Malay archipelago. But while all trees produce wood, not all wood is of value or use to the traditional Malay woodcarver. Despite the variety of material found in abundance all around him, the woodcarver does not have complete freedom to determine the design of his work. Ultimately, he is merely a servant (abdi) to his art and its rules and norms. He is not the one who will decide what the finished product will look like, despite his initial plans and his good intentions. It is the wood itself that determines how it will be used. This has always been the case in the woodcarving tradition in Southeast Asia. Similar philosophies are apparent in the woodcarving traditions of East Asian countries such as Korea and Japan, and are also prevalent throughout the Indian subcontinent.4
The form, pattern and grain of the wood will ultimately decide how and where it will be employed. This is because each type of wood has a character of its own, and it is this character that determines how it will best be used. Some patterns and grains are better suited for carving three-dimensional objects such as keris handles, while others are more suited to two-dimensional surfaces such as walls, decorative panels, furniture, doors and gates. (Even within a house, different types of wood will be used for different parts, depending on the latter's importance.) In classical Malay wood-carving, one often encounters unique pieces where the carver has deliberately ornamented his work in such a way as to enhance the grain and pattern of the wood, at the same time relegating his own carvings and adornments to a secondary status.
The most popular types of wood that were, and still are, commonly used by Malay woodcarvers include a number of hardwoods:
• Kemuning (Murraya paniculata, sometimes known as Chinese myrtle), a honey yellow hardwood endowed with a beautiful flame-like, luminescent grain running through it. Kemuning is also blessed with stripes as well as the quality of chatoyance (renek), or the ability to change its lustre. This is the king of woods for most Malay woodcarvers of the traditional school. It is highly prized in Malaysia, in particular, where its colour is thought to complement the gold brocaded cloth known as songket, another artistic tradition of the east coast states of the Malay Peninsula. This wood is often used for sculptures and keris sheaths and handles, and is so highly prized that it is never used for furniture or construction. Antique keris sheaths made of kemuning were rarely covered with silver or gold for additional decoration, as the beauty of the wood was regarded as being impressive enough by itself.
• Kenaung or kemung (Diospjros ebenum), often referred to as ebony, an extremely expensive black wood which is used for making keris handles. Its black tones add a touch of elegance and nobility to the keris handles that are made out of it. It remains a favourite among keris collectors who prefer the unstated elegance of monochromatic woods to the more outlandish and exuberant patterns found in wood elsewhere in the archipelago. This wood is becoming increasingly rare.
• Angsana or sena (Vterocarpus indicus), a deep orange-gold hardwood, which is sometimes used for making keris sheaths, but never keris handles. Woodcarvers regard it as the most suitable wood for traditional Malay furniture and it is also quite popular for house construction.
Carpenters working by the river in Kelantan at the end of the 19th century. Newly felled tree trunks were floated downriver to a processing shed where they were cut into planks to facilitate transport by the small, narrow boats that plied these rivers. Photograph reproduced by permission of the Syndics of the Cambridge University Library.
Other woods known for their particularly strong semangat include medang hitam (Litsea myristicaefolia) and nangka (jackfruit, Artocarpus heterophyllus). These woods were often employed in the construction of the ceremonial Burung Berarak, a mythical giant bird which was often paraded during important festivities and state rituals in the northern kingdoms of Pattani and Kelantan. They were also used in the production of masks (topeng), another important cultural totem in the world of Malay art and cultural performances. Similar requirements held sway in other parts of the Malay archipelago, especially in Java and Bali, where masks and other sacred objects for public rituals were deemed important enough to be given individualized treat-ment and were made of special materials.5
Malay architects and builders have also always harboured preferences. Their favourite woods include jati (teak, Tectona grandis), cengal (Neobalanocarpus heimii), and merbau (Intsia palembanica). All are black to brownish in colour and so dense that they can blunt even the hardiest of carving instruments. These woods are thought to be particularly good for constructing the beams and pillars of Malay houses as they are extremely durable and resistant to infestation. The other parts of the house are often made from different types of lesser woods, such as balau (Shorea spp.), resak (Vatica spp.), perah (Elateriospernum tapos) and sepetir (Sindora spp.).
Other popular and commonly used woods include:
• Gaharu (aloe wood, Aquilaria malaccensis), a pitch black, shiny wood which is often thought to have both spiritual and medicinal properties. It is often used for keris handles in the other parts of the archipelago.
CEREMONIAL BED FRAME (RT006a)
Pattani, date unknown, nangka, angsana, merbau and teak woods, 205.18 x 215.4 x 182.1 cm
The frame shown here is the front section of a royal four-poster bed reputed to eject any commoner who attempted to sleep on it. The bed takes the form of a traditional Chinese wedding bed with rails, subtly curved and notched in the Malay style, and panelling around three sides. The fourth, open side of the bed contains delicate tracery composed of bunga kerak nasi flowers and leaves and daun sesayap edged with delicate ribbons almost resembling bed curtains. The front of the massive base is decorated with kerak nasi leaves. The legs at the back are carved with a similar curving outline but are devoid of ornamentation. A top frame, designed to support a mosquito net, is also moulded and painted. The bed appears to have its original scarlet and indigo colours. The carvings are all richly gilded.
The merbau (Intsia palembanica) (above) is a reddish hardwood often used instead of cengal in building. The halban (Vitex spp.) (below) is a small tree commonly found growing next to rice fields. Its wood, which is dense, heavy and resistant to rot, is widely used for making domestic artefacts.
• Cendana (sandalwood, Santalum album) which is prized for its fragrant scent and is often used for both sculptures and carvings, as well as for medicinal purposes.
• Gemia (Bouea microphylla), a reddish hardwood which is often used for making keris handles and sheaths but is not used for furniture.
• Setar (Bouea macrophylla), a reddish-brown hardwood that is used for keris handles in the Malay Peninsula but for little else.
• Celagi (Tamarindus indica), known locally as asam jawa, often used for the handles of parang (cutting knifes).
• Halban (Vitex pubescens), a brownish to dull grey wood.
• Vauh
