This ivory handle of a knife or fork is formed as nude female figure with a serpent is likely to be French or South Netherlandish, and to date from the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century.
Ivory was a luxury material, and was sometimes used for fine cutlery handles. The tines of the fork have here been lost.
Knives have been used since prehistoric times, but the history of knives, forks and spoons for eating in Europe probably commenced in the fourteenth century, and their use became accepted by the sixteenth century. Until the late seventeenth century it seems to have been common practice for people to carry their own cutlery, often in a leather case.
Ebony, ivory, fish skin, tortoiseshell, amber, bone, horn and shell were all popular for decorating cutlery. Around 1730 ceramic handles were introduced to Europe from China. Although cutlers were required by their guilds to be able to make a complete knife, handles of carved ivory, silver, bronze and glass were usually imported or made by specialist craftsmen.