Dagger

Dagger (kris) with straight blade with rather indistinct mottled watery pattering (pamor). Bent, faceted dark wood handle (“young shoot in tree trunk”) with two carvings on the inner side, possibly the stylized representations of masks or monster (kala) faces; small protrusion at top of upper carving. Plain hemispherical brass cup 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” to the kris of Indonesia.