Keris Sheath

Indonesia

19th/20th century

  • Titles Keris Sheath (Descriptive)
  • Medium wood and brass
  • Dimensions Overall: 19 3/4 x 8 3/4 in. (50.2 x 22.2 cm)
  • Credit Line Gift of Drs. Noble and Jean Endicott, 1990.228.2
  • Work Type sheath
  • Classification Weapons and Ammunition

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These two charming silver sparrows, one with wings spread and one with wings closed, has been decorated with a variety of jewels. The feathers are set with lapis lazuli; the shoulders—rendered in silver with a gold wash—edged with rubies, and the tail feathers decorated with malachite. Gold wash enhances the beak, legs, and feet. The larger bird, standing with its head cocked to one side, has round alert eyes and carries in its beak a stem with two berries. The artist has perfectly captured the spry but fleeting nature of his subjects. Such objects serve as a testament to the ingenuity and technical skill with which luxury goods from India were crafted. In a separate note, in wonderful coincidence, this collector acquired the two birds separately. The bird with spread wings was acquired from a New York dealer in April 2011; the bird with closed wings, from a small collector in Massachusetts in February 2016. The two birds, crafted by the same Gujarati silversmith, had been separated for, probably, more than a hundred years, but have now once more been united.
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