Marco, during the 1980's there were a lot metal handles coming out of East Jawa that bore similarities to the one you have posted a pic of. I actually met one of the fellows involved in their manufacture when he was making a delivery to Solo. They did not make only handles, but all sorts of things from the bronze period. I do not mean "bronze age", I mean the period when bronze was still being made and used. I later saw a lot of these little statuettes and mirrors and bells offered in very respectable auction houses, and upmarket antique shops in Sydney, as genuine.
They used various material, sometimes it was just patinated brass, but for the better, more expensive pieces they used genuine bronze that had been reclaimed from old gongs.The good pieces were to all intents and purposes indistinguishable from the real thing, the patination, adhering deposits, everything, was perfect. Possibly an expert in bronzes could pick them, but I tend to doubt even this.
These people are still producing things that are being sold in Solo and Bali, at least, however, I have not seen any handles from them for a long time, maybe ten years or more. I have never seen a handle of exactly the same pattern as the one that you have.
When considering the realities of antiquities coming out of Indonesia it always very wise to realise that if there is a market for something, Indonesia can produce it. The production of a particular ceramics manufacturer is impossible for an ordinary person to buy. Why? Because he has at least five years worth of orders to fill for antique dealers right across the world. Archaic forms of keris, such as the keris buda and similar are produced by a gentleman who lives near Malang, and are so excellent that I have almost been sucked in by them twice; only by taking the blades home and spending hours on examination was I able to come to the opinion that they were forgeries. Bronzes? Well, I've already covered those, I think.As for "Majapahit gold" :- approach with caution and be prepared to pay only normal gold price.
Marco, your handle may well be genuine, it is impossible to tell from a pic, and maybe equally impossible in the hand. Possibly your best indicator is how much you paid for it. If the cost ruined your budget for the trip, it is likely to be genuine.
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