An embellished gilt-silver Kris hilt Bali, Indonesia, late 19th - early 20th century | 十九世紀末至二十世紀初 印尼峇里 鎏金銀嵌寶格里斯劍柄

With its sinuous, snakelike blade and figural hilt, the kris is revered and considered to be imbued with spiritual power in Balinese society. Although the identity of some hilt figures is uncertain, many appear to be inspired by characters from the great literary epics of ancient India - the Māhābharata and the Rāmāyana. 

The current lot is likely to depict Rāhvana, the demon king of Ngalenka and the evil antagonist of the Rāmāyana, who attained unrivalled powers due to his revered devotion to Shiva, allowing him to defeat and humiliate the gods on multiple occasions.

See a similar gem-encrusted kris hilt in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, accession no. 32.75.255a, b: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23378. Other examples are illustrated in Robert Hales, Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour, 2013, pp. 115, 117, and 125.

格里斯劍為印尼及馬來群島民族的一種獨特短劍，劍刃呈彎曲波浪型，常配神像形劍柄。格里斯劍深受峇里人崇敬，被認爲具神明力量，一般用作護身符或宗教慶典飾物。部份劍柄所描繪的神像雖身份不明，但大多源自古印度兩大著名梵文史詩—《摩訶婆羅多》及《羅摩衍那》。

拍品1032的劍柄應描繪著《羅摩衍那》中的反派—魔王羅波那。羅波那雖為魔王，但經精心苦行，為濕婆的虔誠追隨者，得到超越凡人的神力，多次打敗眾神明並令他們蒙羞。

紐約大都會藝術博物館藏一相類嵌寶格里斯劍柄，同飾魔王羅波那，館藏編號32.75.255a, b: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/23378。其他相類例可參考Robert Hales，《Islamic and Oriental Arms and Armour》，2013年，頁115、117及125。