Dagger

Dagger with wavy blade (13 curves) and raised median ridge from which flow distinct diagonal watery markings (pamor) resembling leaves on a stem. Deep "blood channels." Rich brown wood handle, very slightly bent, deeply and intricately carved with mostly vegetal motifs above a plain polished base (cracked). Style of hilt carving typical of Pasisir Java (north coast). Cup between blade and handle is gilded (?) with a row of beading around the top and a central band with a flowering vine in relief. 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” to the kris of Indonesia.