Marius, when we are dealing with keris history and development it is very important to realise that we must be able to understand what we are looking at in terms that are relevant to the period concerned.
We cannot determine what is, and what is not a keris based upon our view of the keris at the present time, in fact what we call a keris now was probably not the name, or not the only name, for keris-like objects in the period when Old Javanese was the common language.
However, setting aside the historic variation in names, and only considering what we can see in this carving. The overall blade form has the leaf-shaped blade that is a characteristic of the keris, a line provides evidence of a gonjo, the blade base widens as does the base of the keris, this blade base is asymmetric, as is the blade base of most Modern Keris. By any measure this weapon is a keris.
If you consider that it cannot be a keris because of proportion, I ask you to consider the keris of Bali, and the enormous old North coast kerises that were usually tangguh Tuban.
In fact, a keris can also be a pedang, as is the Balinese ligan, and one of the names for a keris is "kadgo", which comes from the Sanscrit and means "sword"; it often forms a part of the Court name given to an empu, as in Empu Pusposukadgo.
In respect of how this keris in the carving is held, I guess that you have in mind the well known rapier style grip that anchors the index finger and thumb into the blumbangan and uses the jejeran only as a locator. This modern Javanese grip is only one of many possible grips that can be used with the keris, it is the usual grip employed in Javanese court dances, and it is the "polite" grip, but a keris can also be used with an overhand grip, like any dagger, it can be used with a hammer grip, it can be used as you see it held in this carving, in fact, the way it is held in this carving echoes the grip used with a Balinese keris when in combat.
The understanding of what is, and what is not a keris is not limited to narrow parameters, the name "keris" can be employed very broadly. However, in this present example broad application is not necessary, this is a keris by any modern measure
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