Bugis Keris

[David]

Originally Posted by Interested Party

I was specifically asking about the carved lines on the abdominal area. I guessed they were representative of a sarong (at first I thought wooden armor but I believe that it is usually orientated horizontally). Ruling out armor, my curiosity was aimed specifically at was there a cloth pattern these lines were designed to imitate?

I have always assumed this was simply a design feature meant to create a sense of depth by allowing the eye to recede. Here is another example on another Peninsula hilt. If this is representational of clothing or armour or symbolic of anything in particular i am not aware.