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Knife and sheath: M.29A & B-1930

Object information

Current Location: In storage

Maker(s)

Maker: Unknown

Entities

Categories

Description

Enamel and steel with silver-gilt mounts; the knife has a steel blade and a tapering handle enamelled with light blue flowers on a dark blue ground; the sheath is similarly decorated.

Enamel, silver, silver-gilt and steel; the knife's steel blade curves down towards the point; the tapering oval section handle broadens towards the terminal cap which has a projecting ear on the lower side. The dark blue enamelled handle is decorated with scrolling flowers and foliage in light blue champlevé enamelling over silver, and has two applied gilt rectangles. The silver-gilt ferrule and terminal cap are engraved with simple geometric flowers, and each side of the terminal cap is engraved with the coat-of-arms of Saxony. The sheath is ovoid in section, and is similarly decorated to the knife handle but includes three silver portrait busts of a man and woman, and traces of gilding, possibly for a cipher. (One portrait bust and most of the enamel on the champlevé decoration are missing.)

Notes

History note: Frank Smart Collection

Legal notes

From the Frank Smart Collection, given by T.J.G. Duncanson

Acquisition and important dates

Method of acquisition: Given (1930) by Duncanson, T. J. G.

Dating

17th Century, Mid-Late
Production date: circa AD 1675

School or Style

German

People, subjects and objects depicted

Components of the work

Ferrule composed of silver gilt
Traces composed of gilt
Handle composed of enamel
Sheath Length 13.1 cm
Knife Length 14.5 cm

Materials used in production

Silver
Steel

Techniques used in production

Applied
Champlevé
Gilding

References and bibliographic entries

Identification numbers

Accession number: M.29A & B-1930
Primary reference Number: 166965
Old object number: M.2-1930
Stable URI

Audit data

Created: Saturday 6 August 2011 Updated: Thursday 24 September 2015 Last processed: Friday 8 December 2023

Associated departments & institutions

Owner or interested party: The Fitzwilliam Museum
Associated department: Applied Arts

Citation for print

This record can be cited in the Harvard Bibliographic style using the text below:

The Fitzwilliam Museum (2024) "Knife and sheath" Web page available at: https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/166965 Accessed: 2024-11-25 02:22:05

Citation for Wikipedia

To cite this record on Wikipedia you can use this code snippet:

{{cite web|url=https://collection.beta.fitz.ms/id/object/166965 |title=Knife and sheath |author=The Fitzwilliam Museum|accessdate=2024-11-25 02:22:05|publisher=The University of Cambridge}}

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