Kris and Sheath
date: label: Accession Date
content: 9 Mar 1859
name: label: Donor Name
content: King Maha Mongkut
notes: label: Notes
content: FROM CARD: "STRAIGHT WAVY EDGED STEEL BLADE WITH PROMINANT DAMASCENING, THE CENTER HAND OF WHICH SIMULATES THE SCALES ON SNAKE SKIN. UPPER END HAS SMALL HOOK ON ONE SIDE AND A SHORT EXTENSION. AT POINT OF INSERTION INTO THE HANDLE IS A HEAVILY STUDDED METAL FERRULE, GOLD COLOR BUT PROBABLY WASHED OVER SILVER AS A BASE. HANDLE IS SIMPLY CARVED OF WOOD IN THE FORM OF A BIRD'S HEAD WITH RED "STONES" FOR EYES AND TOP OF HEAD, WHICH HAVE BEEN IMPLIED AS "GARNETS", BUT APPEAR TO BE GLASS WITH A FOIL UNDERNEATH, AS IS THE ONE AT THE BASE OF THE SCABBARD. CALLED "KEW" WOOD. THIS SCABBARD IS MADE OF WOOD, THE LENGTH COVERED WITH DARK BLUE VELVET AND HAVING AT EACH END A SMALL GOLD COLORED FILIGREE METAL BAND. EXCEPT FOR THE ELABORATE DESIGN OF THE DAMSCENING THIS IS ONE OF THE SIMPLER TYPES OF KRISES. (ORIGINAL LISTING SPELLED THIS: "CHRISSOE".)"
label: Notes
content: Illustrated and described in McQuail, Lisa. 1997. "Treasures of Two Nations: Thai Royal Gifts to the United States of America" Smithsonian Institution. p. 86. Identified there as kris with aviform hilt, of Pamor steel, yew wood, gemstones, velvet, and gold.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 21 Apr 2025
label: Specimen Count
content: 2
place: label: Place
content: Thailand, Asia
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Siamese
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 266032
label: USNM Number
content: E100-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Kris / Sheath
physicalDescription: label: Minimum Length - Object
content: ca. 30 cm
label: Maximum Length - Object
content: ca. 46 cm
label: Minimum Height - Object
content: ca. 5 cm
label: Maximum Height - Object
content: ca. 10 cm