Dagger

Dagger with narrow wavy blade (9 curves), asymmetrically widening at base. Some watery patterning (pamor). Slightly bent ivory (?) handle is intricately carved with vaguely vegetal motifs. The metal ring between the blade and the handle has a thin band of beading, now broken. One of a class of daggers called kris, defined by the asymmetrical 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.