Dagger

P1268A

From: Borneo | Brunei

Curatorial Section: Oceanian

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Native Name Kris
Object Number P1268A
Current Location Collections Storage
Culture Malay
Provenience Borneo | Brunei
Manufacture Location Sulawesi | Malay Peninsula (uncertain)
Section Oceanian
Materials Metal | Wood | Cloth | String | Pigment
Description

Dagger with straight blade, watery patterning (pamor). Wood handle, painted light orange, is Bugis style (Sulawesi or Malay Peninsula), as is the cup (selut) between blade and handle. One of a class of daggers called kris, defined by the widening at one side of the blade base. Kris are not only weapons but also works of art and objects of mythical, ritual, and ceremonial significance: in 2005, UNESCO gave the title “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”

Length 40 cm
Credit Line Gift of Dr. William H. Furness 3rd., 1898

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