Garuda Kris

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by SanibelSwassa

1. The floral pattern on the crown of the “Garuda” form are not found in the other Moro Kris hilts, yet the blades on these archaic seem to have elements that would tie them back to the Moro craftsman.

I'll spend some time aligning my thoughts later in the week, but at face value, and no doubt the crutch of the matter that muddies the origins question for me is that I see Sulu motifs, Malay motifs and Boreo motifs within many aspects of the hulu and the dress these are sometimes found in... finding that consistent common and undeniable theme within all seems quite the challenge... equally, most blades as you note are distinctly Moro/Sulu... the adventure continues

Originally Posted by SanibelSwassa

2. The wings on the side profile of many of the pieces I’ve located are typical of the more common forms. This seems to be a linkage that should not be ignored.

This aspect reminds me somewhat of the pronounced part of Malaysian/Patani Coteng and to a much lesser degree, the side panels on the Tajong which are more vegetation motifs and not pronounced.

Originally Posted by SanibelSwassa

3. The front and back of the form have a possible reference to the gateway to “heaven” or the afterlife.

At the same time I see a metamorphous in process through various examples, not unlike the various stages other Keris hulu forms are found in other regions.

[Gavin Nugent]

Another little side track... so many unique things to the regions .. there is this old thread of an interesting pommel and the image Battara provided...

Whilst not purely of the type, it is interesting to note the upright ancestor like position, and that it looks to be gold from the enhanced photo, also carries what appears to be two seperate rings on and below the pommel, rings that appear to have grip straps running either side of the hulu... complete with very interesting side panels too... Datu Piang and a most interesting hulu.

Note the shirt he is wearing too... very much akin to the Mirror Panels Gustav brought to the forum some time ago...

And this linky...it shows more of the type....

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=162113

[Gavin Nugent]

I'm posting these images here too in the hope of bringing more light on the "type"

Stylistically, it is of the subgroup, simply refined in a different manner.

This is in the Malaysian National museum in Kuala Lumpur.
I have not delved into the accession of this piece. It may offer insights.