| Accession Nr.: | 63.9.1-3 |
|---|---|
| Type: | bone objects; religious or cult object; weapons and armament; metalwork |
| Date of production: |
18th − early 19th century
|
| Place of production: |
A wavy-edged dagger (Indonesian: keris) with a carved ivory hilt and ornately carved silver-plated wooden scabbard. The embossed scabbard depicts scroll and floral motifs and ends in a demon mask with a frontal design, which almost completely covers the handle guard.
A peculiarity of the Madurai 'donoriko' decoration is that the surface of the hilt, which imitates a bird's head, is covered with meticulously carved vegetation and small animal and human figures - barely visible, since the Islamic religion avoids figurative representation called 'donoriko' style. The bone handle in question contains typical Madurai symbols: winged horses (Si Mega) and dragons and a royal crown.
A peculiarity of the Madurai 'donoriko' decoration is that the surface of the hilt, which imitates a bird's head, is covered with meticulously carved vegetation and small animal and human figures - barely visible, since the Islamic religion avoids figurative representation called 'donoriko' style. The bone handle in question contains typical Madurai symbols: winged horses (Si Mega) and dragons and a royal crown.