gold hilt

[A. G. Maisey]

This gold hilt is in the Asian collection of the Australian National Gallery.

It is identified as from Sunda, and as the hilt of a keris.

Additionally one of the materials used in its construction has been named as cinnabar.

There are several things that I find strange in this attribution and description.

The major question for me is how cinnabar was used in its construction.

This type of hilt is typical of a Javanese pedang, not a keris, and the way in which it is made is by embossing the motif into a shell of metal, which is then joined and chased, and filled with either a shellac mixture or a mixture that includes damar, a natural resin.

I cannot understand how cinnabar enters the equation.

I have noted erroneous descriptions of Javanese objects in Australian collections and exhibitions in the past, some that were really ludicrous. I suggest that perhaps the description of this hilt might be taken with caution until a confirmation can be obtained.