Lot 302

19th C. Indonesian Kris Dagger with Carved Wood Sheath

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Lot 302
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19th C. Indonesian Kris Dagger with Carved Wood Sheath
19th C. Indonesian Kris Dagger with Carved Wood Sheath
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19th C. Indonesian Kris Dagger with Carved Wood Sheath

Estimate: $600 - $900

Starting Bid: $300

(0 Bids)
by Artemis Fine Arts
August 7, 2026 9:00 AM MDT
Live Auction
686 S. Taylor Avenue
Suite 108
Louisville, CO, US 80027

Southeast Asia, Indonesia, ca. 1800–1950 CE. A kris, the asymmetrical dagger that stands among the most storied edged weapons of the Malay world, here sheathed in warm hardwood and crowned by a sculptural hilt. The scabbard opens into a broad boat-shaped crosspiece (the wrangka), its grain glowing beneath a deep patina, before tapering to a long slender throat bound at the mouth with a wrapped iron-alloy band. The iron blade seats against a brass spacer, the small collar that mediates between steel and grip. The pistol-form pommel, carved to the abstracted, downturned profile favored across Java and the wider archipelago, curls into the hand with quiet authority. More than a weapon, the kris carried spiritual weight, an heirloom believed to hold protective power (tuah), passed between generations as an emblem of status, lineage, and personal identity. Size with sheath: 19.3" L x 6.3" W (49.0 cm L x 16.0 cm W).

The kris (keris) is inseparable from Javanese and broader Indonesian cosmology. A well-made blade was thought to possess isi, an inner content or spirit, and tuah, a fortune-bearing quality that could protect or empower its owner; families kept ancestral blades as sacred heirlooms, ritually cleansed with offerings and fragrant oils. The wavy or straight blade, the number of luk (curves), and the pamor patterning of contrasting iron and nickelous metals each carried meaning legible to initiates. The hilt and sheath, often the most publicly visible elements, signaled regional origin and rank: the Javanese planar wrangka and the abstracted, inward-turning hilt seen here descend from older figural forms gradually stylized under Islamic influence. In 2005 UNESCO proclaimed the Indonesian kris a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Provenance: private Los Angeles, California, USA collection

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Item # 203781

  • Condition: Natural splitting to wood on sheath and hilt, as well as expected weathering with nicks and abrasions in areas. Otherwise, intact and very nice with rich patina throughout.

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $20,000