My Birthday Present: Knife for ID Please

fearn · 5th November 2008, 03:37 PM

Hi Rick,

That's why I called it a fruit knife back there. Anyway, there's a way to settle the "gut hook" issue. Try to use it, preferably on something soft and harmless like a piece of paper or a paper towel. Of course, most of us have bought knives that can't perform their putative functions, but if it really can't cut, that might tell us something.

The first thing that tip reminded me of was one of those faux forks on the tip of a cheese knife, and that, combined with the goat head and grapes up top made me think of a party piece.

A couple more observations. One question: is the bound figure a man or a woman? The figure below is definitely male, and while I agree that he doesn't have goat hooves, the satyrs that accompanied Dionysus didn't necessarily have hooves either (Wikipedia Dionysus and satyr picture link; Wikipedia Satyr article ). Alternatively, it could be a bound woman with a man between her legs.

I still lean towards the bound figure being Dionysus or Bacchus. Man or woman, the symbolism on the handle is more consistent with partying than with hunting, in my opinion.

The second observation is the piece may have lasted, simply because it didn't get used very often. That would argue either that it was a presentation piece (thanks Fernando!), a party piece, or a hunting knife that was poorly designed, and hence didn't get used often.

This is a great discussion. Thanks gentlemen!

F

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5th November 2008, 03:37 PM	#21
fearn Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,247	Hi Rick, That's why I called it a fruit knife back there. Anyway, there's a way to settle the "gut hook" issue. Try to use it, preferably on something soft and harmless like a piece of paper or a paper towel. Of course, most of us have bought knives that can't perform their putative functions, but if it really can't cut, that might tell us something. The first thing that tip reminded me of was one of those faux forks on the tip of a cheese knife, and that, combined with the goat head and grapes up top made me think of a party piece. A couple more observations. One question: is the bound figure a man or a woman? The figure below is definitely male, and while I agree that he doesn't have goat hooves, the satyrs that accompanied Dionysus didn't necessarily have hooves either (Wikipedia Dionysus and satyr picture link; Wikipedia Satyr article ). Alternatively, it could be a bound woman with a man between her legs. I still lean towards the bound figure being Dionysus or Bacchus. Man or woman, the symbolism on the handle is more consistent with partying than with hunting, in my opinion. The second observation is the piece may have lasted, simply because it didn't get used very often. That would argue either that it was a presentation piece (thanks Fernando!), a party piece, or a hunting knife that was poorly designed, and hence didn't get used often. This is a great discussion. Thanks gentlemen! F