Description:

Kris (keris)
Malaysia (Greater Malacca) or Central Sumatra (Riau), 19th century
L. 49 cm
Steel, wood, Non-ferrous metal, ivory. An outstanding keris of Malay origin, which can be attributed with some certainty to the greater Malacca area, including the neighbouring region of Riau (capital Pekanbaru) in Sumatra. It has a blade of refined steel with a very distinctive grain, which is characteristic of Malay blades. The blade has an almost shiny, smooth surface. It has a black patina; light inclusions in the flanks are not to be seen as deliberately applied "colour pamor", but are due to inclusions (silicates, aluminium, titanium, copper, etc.) in the outer layers of the blade. The shoulder of the blade has very sharp, elegant greneng ("teeth"). Due to the greneng features, the blade can be assigned to the Malay mainland, The cross-section of the actual blade (wilah) is sharply diamond-shaped, the profile slightly curved, typical for Malay-keris is also the slightly curved contact surface between the crosspiece and the blade base. The handle is made of ivory and sits in a combined hemispherical mount (selut with integral mendak, handle ring) with raised decorative elements and roughly set stones. The handle is in the shape of java demam ("feverish javan"). The figure's very sharply pronounced rücken shield is striking. The hilt has developed a special form of superficial ribbing, which emphasises the abstract beauty of its shape and can be described as a rare stroke of luck. The scabbard (sampir) is made of brown wood with a particularly spectacular nginden ("3D") grain on the attached mouthpiece. The crescent-shaped mouthpiece with a central decorative bar is also typical and unmistakable for keris panjang from the Riau region of Sumatra. The foot is made of ebony. This type of scabbard represents the most advanced abstraction of the original Javanese keris scabbard (under Islamic measures) in the archipelago or perhaps goes back to the sandang walikat, the "original scabbard" without a boat-shaped mouthpiece. This is possibly the original form of Malay keris sheaths.
From an old German private collection, collected since the 1950s

The peninsula of Malacca was already described by the ancient geographer Claudius Ptolemäus in the second century AD under the name Chryse Chersonesos (Greek for Golden Peninsula). Malacca was originally founded by the Chinese as a collection and transshipment centre for spices (especially pepper from the Moluccas) and sandalwood from Timor. The influence of Malacca became decisive for the entire western archipelago after the decline of Majapahit in the 15th century

Kris (keris)
Malaysia (Großraum Malakka) oder Mittel-Sumatra (Riau), 19. Jh.
L. 49 cm
Stahl, Holz, Buntmetall, Elfenbein. Ein herausragender keris malaiischer Herkunft, der mit einiger Sicherheit dem Großraum Malakka einschließlich dem gegenüberliegenden Gebiet von Riau (Hauptstadt Pekanbaru) in Sumatra zugewiesen werden kann. Er hat eine Klingel aus raffiniertem Stahl mit einer sehr prägnanten Maserung, die für malaisiche Klingen charakteristisch ist. Die Klinge hat eine fast glänzende, glatte Oberfläche. Sie ist schwarz patiniert; helle Einschlüsse in den Flanken sind nicht als bewusst angelegtes „Farb-pamor“ zu werten, sondern auf Einschlüsse (Silikate, Aluminium, Titan, Kupfer etc.) in den Außenschichten der Klinge zurückzuführen. Die Schulter der Klinge hat sehr scharf ausgeprägte, elegante greneng („Zähne“). Aufgrund der greneng-Merkmale kann man die Klinge dem malaiischen Festland zuweisen, Der Querschnitt des eigentlichen Blattes (wilah) ist scharf rautenförmig, das Profil leicht gebogen, Typisch für Malay-keris ist auch die leicht geschwungene Kontaktfläche zwischen dem Querstück und der Klingenbasis. Der Griff ist aus Elfenbein und sitzt in einer kombinierten halbkugeligen Fassung (selut mit integraler mendak, Stielring) mit aufgelöteten Zierelementen und grob gefassten Steinen. Der Griff i

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Export to countries outside the EU are subject to the restrictions of the UNESCO convention from 1970 and the European Agreement for the Protection of Cultural Heritage from 1993. Moreover, the cites regulations are applicable. Objects with materials such as ivory or tortoise shell require a permission for export into countries outside the EU contract area due to cites regulations. We point out that such a permission is usually not given. For exports within the EU the Act to Protect German Cultural Property against Removal (Kulturgutschutzgesetz) has been in force since 6th August 2016.


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October 1, 2025 10:00 AM CEST
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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
0 € 19 € 5 €
20 € 179 € 10 €
180 € 299 € 20 €
300 € 359 € 30 €
360 € 399 € 40 €
400 € 899 € 50 €
900 € 999 € 100 €
1.000 € 1.999 € 100 €
2.000 € 2.999 € 200 €
3.000 € 3.599 € 300 €
3.600 € 3.999 € 400 €
4.000 € 9.999 € 500 €
10.000 € 19.999 € 1.000 €
20.000 € 29.999 € 2.000 €
30.000 € 35.999 € 3.000 €
36.000 € 39.999 € 4.000 €
40.000 € 99.999 € 5.000 €
100.000 € 199.999 € 10.000 €
200.000 € + 20.000 €