Indonesian Dagger Handle in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, August 2023

Title: Dagger handle

Date: late 18th or 19th century

Culture: Indonesia (Bali or Eastern Java)

Medium: Engraved and chased sheet gold, inset with semiprecious stones and rock
crystal, over wood

Dimensions: H. 4 1/2 in. (11.4 cm); W. 1 3/4 in. (4.4 cm); D. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)

Classification: Sculpture

Credit Line: Purchase, Bequest of Samuel Eilenberg, by exchange and Mr. and Mrs. Gilbert H. Kinney Gift, 2008

Accession Number: 2008.422

This kris hilt depicts Batara Bayu, the Hindu deity Bhima's spiritual mentor, an auspicious motif for a dagger, as one of his roles is to ward off evil and offer protection to the keeper of the weapon. Dressed in sumptuously detailed textiles, he holds a kris dagger and is seated on a rocky foliate landscape, enriched with precious stones and inset with elliptical pieces of rock crystal.

Text from: www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/74529