Very large (East?) Javanese Keris for Comments

[kai]

Hello Jean,

What is the reason for the sloppy & blurred patras, religious reason or just poor craftsmanship

Missing, highly stylized or "empty" patra seem to be an early development and examples are seen in a few of the extant early keris hilts.

In this case, I believe the hilt was not done by a specialized carver (maybe rather done by one of the former owners). The base of the hilt appears to have seen some wear or intentional thinning out (already a good while ago) - this may have contributed to the uneven lines teathering out towards the base.

Regards,
Kai