Which deity does this Bali handle represent?

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Paul de Souza

Oh. Yah. Silly me.

Maybe because his club is different and he is clean shaven.

Thanks Rick. Hope I find u well.

Regards

Paul

Well, I gave it a try, Paul.

But as Alan has said we cannot say for sure about identities of these figural Bali hilts.

I have a version of the hilt that you have shown; I guess it's just human nature to want to hang a name on everything.

I hope I find you well; unfortunately this year's nasty flu has found me.

[Jean]

Hello Paul,
Could you please post a side view of your hilt in order to better assess its attribute and head-dress? Do I see a bintulu eye at the bottom of the tumpal motif?
From the patina (is it natural or artificial?) this hilt seems to have some age so it is more likely that it depicts a specific deity. At first glance I would have voted for Bima like Rick did.
Regards

[Paul de Souza]

I feel there is age in it but some people have said it is stained for age effect. There is a shine and wear to that suggest lots of handling and age. It may be stained but not a recent thing given the wear on it. I hope the following will help.

[Jean]

Thank you Paul. There are still not many clues about the identification of the figure but it has a Garuda Mungkur on the back of the head, it is made from elephant ivory (Retzius lines visible on some pics) and the patina looks natural as the exposed tips (toes, etc) are whiter and worn. A nice hilt anyway, the selut may be less old than the hilt itself.
Regards

[Paul B.]

Any idea about the semi-precious cabochon stones involved in the selut?

[David]

Originally Posted by Paul B.

Any idea about the semi-precious cabochon stones involved in the selut?

Well Paul, when you ask about age that was a red flag for me. Are they black in color. They look like they might be diopside which is not a stone i can see i have seen used on Bali hilts that are truly old. As Jean suggested the selut could be a newer addition, but it does make me suspicious of the age of the entire piece ash the color of the ivory does look dyed to me. Also the other diamond-like stones seem an unusual cut for older Balinese work.

[Jean]

Originally Posted by Paul B.

Any idea about the semi-precious cabochon stones involved in the selut?

The cabochon stones may be from black obsidian (volcano glass) which is used in Indonesia AFAIK but they are not suitable for a traditional Balinese selut indeed.
Regards

[David]

Originally Posted by Jean

The cabochon stones may be from black obsidian (volcano glass) which is used in Indonesia AFAIK but they are not suitable for a traditional Balinese selut indeed.
Regards

Yes Jean, could also be obsidian. While i have not seen similar stones used on older seluts i wonder why you suggest they are not "suitable".

[kai]

Hello Jean,

The cabochon stones may be from black obsidian (volcano glass) which is used in Indonesia AFAIK but they are not suitable for a traditional Balinese selut indeed.

Don't these look like low-quality black sapphires? (Basically with irregular layers of needles inside rather than clear or star sapphires?)

Regards,
Kai