Knife
Unknown Artist
17th century
Medium
Steel, ivory, silver
Dimensions
L. 10 1/8 in. (25.7 cm); L. of blade 5 13/16 in. (14.8 cm); W. 1 1/16 in. (2.7 cm); W. of blade 3/4 in. (1.9 cm); thickness of blade 1/8 in. (0.3 cm); Wt. 3 oz. (85 g)
Classification
Knives
Culture
Italian
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Alan Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, 1954
Accession Number
54.46.39
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite 17th-century Italian knife, crafted from steel, ivory, and silver, exemplifies the blend of functionality and artistry in Renaissance-era arms and armor. Measuring just over 10 inches in length with a slender 5 13/16-inch blade, it weighs a mere 3 ounces, making it a delicate yet potent object—likely a personal dagger or paring knife carried by nobility. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department through the bequest of Alan Rutherfurd Stuyvesant in 1954, its precise dimensions highlight the meticulous engineering of the period, where weapons doubled as ...