Dagger handle
Indonesia (Bali or Eastern Java)
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.
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