Antique Indonesian Balinese Executioner Sword Kris Keris With Kojongan Scabbard

Scarce antique 18th-19th century Indonesian Balinese sword, kris, with the long straight blade in the form of the Indonesian executioner’s keris, with a very well-hand-forged long blade. The double-edged strong blade is beautifully hand-forged from meteorite iron "Pamor" with a very fine wave Damascus watering pattern. Each face of the blade is cut with two slender, full-length fullers.
The base of the blade has an unusual pattern and is shaped on both sides, like a bird's head with a hooked beak and holes pierced into it as eyes.

This blade was made on the pattern of European military polearm spontoon - pike blade used by European infantry officers during the 17th and 18th centuries.

The gilded wooden hilt is finely carved in relief on a red background. It depicts the demon king Rāhvana, also known as Dasamuka, the evil antagonist of the oldest Sanskrit epic poems (Rāmāyana). The base is carved with large bulbous Selut and mounted with a Mendak (cuff) set with cabochon glass beads.
The exterior of the red-painted wooden scabbard (sarong) with its unique kojongan shape is carved in relief and gilded with floral scroll motifs and a checkered pattern at the bottom. The wranka is carved and gilded with a” Kala” mask and foliage at the back.

Because high-quality Keris blades made of Pamor were valuable and never went out of fashion or style, they were part of the aristocratic heirlooms passed down from generation to generation. They were considered to have imbued magic and power on their owners. So, high-priced, old blades, dating back to the fifteenth century, were still used during the 19th and 20th centuries but were refitted with new 19th or 20th-century mountings. This was also practiced in Japan when expensive old sword blades were remounted on a new mount and still used in the 19th and 20th centuries.

The usual way of execution was to make the victim squat, and then the executioner would drive the blade of a kris through the upper shoulder near the collarbone – downwards – towards the heart. The driving in of the blade would occur either quickly or slowly, according to the sentence. The kris was driven through cotton wool or something similar so that the blood would be soaked up because only the ruler was allowed to be the cause of blood being physically shed and spilled on the ground.

CONDITION: Shows age and use. Mendak is missing one glass cabochon.

Please notice that the pictures in the listing are part of the description of the object's condition.

MEASUREMENTS:
Overall length with the scabbard: 63.5 cm (25 inches).
Overall length without the scabbard: 59.5 cm (23.43 inches).
Length of the blade: 47.5 cm (18.7 inches).

The Keris is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.