Knife Handle
10th century to 11th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This handle of a knife or dagger was made in Anglo-Saxon England, probably in the 10th to the 11th century. It is carved in bone and decorated with pierced scrolls and animals.
Inhabited scrolls of the type seen on the handle have a long history in Anglo-Saxon Northern England. Ultimately deriving from Late Antique prototypes, they are seen in similar form in stone crosses from the late 7th century onwards and remained in fashion until the end of the 11th century. Because of the continuity of this decorative fashion it is difficult to date the handle with precision.
Inhabited scrolls of the type seen on the handle have a long history in Anglo-Saxon Northern England. Ultimately deriving from Late Antique prototypes, they are seen in similar form in stone crosses from the late 7th century onwards and remained in fashion until the end of the 11th century. Because of the continuity of this decorative fashion it is difficult to date the handle with precision.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Carved bone with a fragment of iron |
| Brief description | Handle for a knife or dagger, bone, decorated with pierced scrolls and animals, Anglo-Saxon, probably 10th to 11th century |
| Physical description | Bone handle for a knife or dagger, decorated with pierced scrolls and animals with the vestigial remains of the blade at one end. The animals are from bottom upwards: a quadruped, a bird, and another quadruped turning its head to eat fruit. The carved field is bordered by two strips of elongated bead-and-reel ornament. The other side is plain except for a 1cm section of interlaced basket-work carving at the bottom. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Mr Harold Bompas |
| Object history | Given by Mr Harold B. Bompas, London. Historical significance: Inhabited scrolls of the type seen on the handle have a long history in Anglo-Saxon Northern England. Ultimately deriving from Late Antique prototypes, they are seen in similar form in stone crosses from the late 7th century onwards and remained in fashion until the end of the 11th century. Because of the continuity of this decorative fashion it is difficult to date the handle with precision. |
| Historical context | Vine scrolls enclosing animals eating grapes are characteristic of 7th to 9th century, North English works, and they appear again in the 11th century. The vine in the debased form shown on this handle may well belong to the latter part of the period. |
| Production | probably 10th to 11th century |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This handle of a knife or dagger was made in Anglo-Saxon England, probably in the 10th to the 11th century. It is carved in bone and decorated with pierced scrolls and animals. Inhabited scrolls of the type seen on the handle have a long history in Anglo-Saxon Northern England. Ultimately deriving from Late Antique prototypes, they are seen in similar form in stone crosses from the late 7th century onwards and remained in fashion until the end of the 11th century. Because of the continuity of this decorative fashion it is difficult to date the handle with precision. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.101-1927 |
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| Record created | November 18, 2004 |
| Record URL |
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