Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Bali, late 19th century. A carved ivory handle in the form of a crouching figure with a large bearded face, wide eyes and hands brought up to the chin, above a ribbed collar. This piece is in the Baroque style which flourished in Buleleng, north Bali, from the second half of the 19th century until the first decades of the 20th.

Handles like this were fitted to betel-nut cutters and to keris (kris) daggers. The figure is likely a guardian or demonic character from Balinese mythology. Source: Xanda Gallery, 2001.