Penknife thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Penknife

ca. 1690 - ca. 1710 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This gravoir or penknife, with a representation of a naked woman, is made by an unknown artist in the Netherlands in about 1690-1710. The knife was probably a scrivener's tool used to trim feathers into writing quills.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Ivory and metal
Brief description
Penknife and gravoir, ivory and metal, nude female figure, Netherlandish, ca. 1690-1710
Physical description
This gravoir with a penknife attached has a handle is formed by a naked figure of a woman, somewhat crudely carved.
Dimensions
  • Whole length: 35.56cm
  • Ivory alone length: 29cm
Object history
Bought in 1859 from the Soulages Collection.
Subject depicted
Summary
This gravoir or penknife, with a representation of a naked woman, is made by an unknown artist in the Netherlands in about 1690-1710. The knife was probably a scrivener's tool used to trim feathers into writing quills.
Bibliographic references
  • Inventory of Art Objects Acquired in the Year 1859. In: Inventory of the Objects in the Art Division of the Museum at South Kensington, Arranged According to the Dates of their Acquisition. Vol I. London: Printed by George E. Eyre and William Spottiswoode for H.M.S.O., 1868, p. 34
  • Longhurst, Margaret H. Catalogue of Carvings in Ivory. Part II. London: Victoria and Albert Museum, 1929, p. 75
  • Robinson, John Charles. Catalogue of the Soulages Collection. London: Chapman & Hall, 1856
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013 pp. 429, 430
  • Trusted, Marjorie, Baroque & Later Ivories, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, 2013, pp. 429, 430, cat. no. 455
Collection
Accession number
5602-1859

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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