A Chelsea Knife, circa 1750

This small white knife of pistol-grip form, is moulded with entwined flowering branches. The steel blade, stamped COTTAM WISBEACH, is held in place with a silver ferrule.

Provenance: An English Private Collection.

Condition: There are a couple of rough areas close to the ferrule and the swollen end, and also very fine hairlines. The scimitar blade has some age-related tarnishing, but remains sharp. No restoration.

Dimensions: Length 19.5 cm (including blade)

A Review of Chelsea, Chelsea-Derby and Derby Knife and Fork Hafts, Tony Stevenson (ECC Transactions, vol. 14, no. 1, 1990). 

Cutlery: From Gothic to Art Deco – The J. Hollander Collection, Jan van Trigt (Petraco-Pandora NV, 1999).

Ref. In his Review of Chelsea, Chelsea-Derby and Derby Knife and Fork Hafts, Tony Stevenson mentions an unglazed handle waster of this form found at the Longton Hall factory site, and now at the Potteries Museum & Art Gallery, Stoke-on-Trent.

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