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Knife Handles thumbnail 2
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Knife Handles

c. 1850 (made)
Place of origin

These handles were made in India in the 19th century, with most of the fashioning process involving a combination of hand-working and the use of abrasive-charged discs that would have been turned on a bow-driven lathe. Decorative handles such as these would have been produced in large quantities, most probably for export to the European market.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 37 parts.

  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
  • Knife Handle
Materials and techniques
Agates, jaspers, bloodstone and fossilised palm wood, cut and polished using abrasives with the hole most probably being made using a bow-driven drill.
Brief description
A collection of knife handles of varied design, fashioned from a variety of quartz hardstones, India, 19th century
Physical description
Polished handles, of varied design and colour/patterning. All are of a tapering rectangular form with a square-cut narrower end (some having a longitudinal drill hole and a roughly-ground band) and a wider end that is either rounded or square-cut. There appear to be approximate pairings of similar style, colour and patterning.
Dimensions
  • 08266 1 ( is) length: 85.5mm
  • 08266 1 ( is) width: 11.65 & 19.50mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 1 ( is) thickness: 9.55 & 9.95mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 2 ( is) length: 95.15mm
  • 08266 2 ( is) width: 13.0 & 16.0mm (Note: Widths of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 2 ( is) thickness: 6.8 & 9.8mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 2 ( is) width: 13.5mm (Note: Width of the ground recessed band at the drilled end)
  • 08266 3 ( is) length: 96.8mm
  • 08266 3 ( is) width: 13.2 & 16.7mm (Note: Widths of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 3 ( is) thickness: 8.1 & 10.0mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 3 ( is) width: 13.2mm (Note: Width of the ground recessed band at the drilled end)
  • 08266 4 ( is) length: 90.3mm
  • 08266 4 ( is) width: 9.45 & 15.85mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 4 ( is) thickness: 6.65 & 10.70mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 4 ( is) width: 9.2mm (Note: Width of the ground recessed band at the narrower end)
  • 08266 5 ( is) length: 82.25mm
  • 08266 5 ( is) width: 11.0 & 17.7mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 5 ( is) thickness: 10.55 & 10.20mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 8 ( is) length: 82.55mm
  • 08266 8 ( is) width: 13.35 & 16.85mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 8 ( is) thickness: 9.4 & 11.0mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 9 ( is) length: 91.6mm
  • 08266 9 ( is) width: 10.55 & 19.85mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 9 ( is) thickness: 10.7 & 12.8mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 11 ( is) length: 86.5mm
  • 08266 11 ( is) width: 12.15 & 18.75mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 11 ( is) thickness: 8.75 & 9.15mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 12 ( is) length: 84.6mm
  • 08266 12 ( is) width: 13.15 & 16.60mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 12 ( is) thickness: 10.0 & 11.6mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 13 ( is) length: 88.4mm
  • 08266 13 ( is) width: 12.6 & 18.6mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 13 ( is) thickness: 9.7 & 9.4mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 15 ( is) length: 82.95mm
  • 08266 15 ( is) width: 13.0 & 16.2mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 15 ( is) thickness: 9.25 & 11.20mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 17 ( is) length: 85.9mm
  • 08266 17 ( is) width: 13.75 & 17.15mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 17 ( is) thickness: 10.75 & 12.00mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 19 ( is) length: 85.75mm
  • 08266 19 ( is) width: 13.4 & 17.6mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 19 ( is) thickness: 11.15 & 12.35mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 21 ( is) length: 86.1mm
  • 08266 21 ( is) width: 13.75 & 17.50mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 21 ( is) thickness: 9.3 & 11.0mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 24 ( is) length: 85.05mm
  • 08266 24 ( is) width: 12.90 & 17.15mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 24 ( is) thickness: 10.0 & 9.9mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 25 ( is) length: 90.0mm
  • 08266 25 ( is) width: 11.9 & 19.9mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 25 ( is) thickness: 9.25 & 10.00mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 28 ( is) length: 88.0mm
  • 08266 28 ( is) width: 13.50 & 17.75mm (Note: Widths of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 28 ( is) thickness: 5.05 & 9.20mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 28 ( is) width: 12.6mm (Note: Width of the ground recessed band at the drilled end)
  • 08266 33 ( is) length: 83.5mm
  • 08266 33 ( is) width: 13.40 & 16.25mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 33 ( is) thickness: 9.65 & 10.30mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 35 ( is) length: 87.1mm
  • 08266 35 ( is) width: 12.3 & 16.5mm (Note: Widths of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 35 ( is) thickness: 8.3 & 11.5mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (drilled) & wider ends respectively)
  • 08266 35 ( is) width: 10.7mm (Note: Width of the ground recessed band at the drilled end)
  • 08266 35 ( is) depth: 33.5mm (+/- 0.1) (Note: Approximate depth of the drill hole)
  • 08266 37 ( is) length: 83.45mm
  • 08266 37 ( is) width: 13.6 & 16.3mm (Note: Widths of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
  • 08266 37 ( is) thickness: 8.5 & 10.0mm (Note: Thicknesses of narrower (square-cut) & wider (rounded) ends respectively)
A number of handles have close duplicates in design, material & colour. In those cases, measurements of only one example have been noted.
Object history
These handles were made in India in the 19th century and were formerly in The India Museum in London. They were then transferred to the South Kensington Museum (later renamed The Victoria & Albert Museum) in 1879.
Summary
These handles were made in India in the 19th century, with most of the fashioning process involving a combination of hand-working and the use of abrasive-charged discs that would have been turned on a bow-driven lathe. Decorative handles such as these would have been produced in large quantities, most probably for export to the European market.
Collection
Accession number
08266:1/(IS) to 08266:37/(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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