This gold keris handle is ornately decorated with granulation and colourful stones. The keris is an asymmetrical double-edged dagger unique to island Southeast Asia. It originated in Java around the 9th century, and spread to the rest of the Malay archipelago during the Majapahit era (14th to 15th century) through trade and Javanese craftsmen. Used as a weapon, the keris is also believed have protective and magical powers, and is a status symbol especially in Java. The sheath was considered the ‘house’ of the keris, without which the keris is not complete.
