Dagger

Dagger (kris) with straight blade widening asymmetrically at base, with bold, mottled watery markings (pamor). Bent ivory handle in form of stylized seated human figure. Domed oval green stone with rings of large and small beading on forehead, surface pattern of interlocking spiral tendrils. Brass ring between blade and handle is decorated with a band of high relief four-petalled flowers, and beading. Overall shape and style of surface carving on the hilt are characteristic of Sumatra, specifically Palembang. 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.