The hilt and sheath of this unique keris are carved with intricate foliage and geometrical patterns. The flat, symmetrical oversized sheath has an unusual style. Conventional Javanese keris sheaths are asymmetrical and divided into two types: an undulating form whose top part is carved in the shape of a boat, and a simpler form, where the top part is carved in the shape of a kidney.This keris' sheath conforms to neither type. It is unclear whether the shape of the sheath is representative of traditional styles or whether it is just a fanciful design intended for the tourist market of the time.The keris belongs to a group of Malay and Javanese keris collected by Gerald Brousseau Gardner (1884–1964) between 1911 and 1936. During this period, Gardner a colonial civil servant, a writer and occultist, sold approximately a hundred items to the Raffles Museum.
