A Chelsea Knife, circa 1750-55
This small white Chelsea knife is moulded with flowering prunus branches, in the manner of the blanc de chine porcelains of Dehua. The steel blade is fitted with a silver ferrule.
Provenance: An English Private Collection.
Condition: No cracks or restoration. There is some roughness and staining to the raised decoration in places, and also a circular blemish to the underside of the pistol butt. The blade has some age-related tarnishing, but remains sharp.
Dimensions: Length 17.7 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).