Is this authentic 19th century Gaucho knife.

[Chris Evans]

ASPaulding,

The correct name for these knives is Cuchillo Criollo’ rather than `Gaucho Knives’, Gauchos were originally vagabonds who roamed the Pampas and could not anywhere afford a lavish piece like this. Throughout the 19th century the term gaucho morphed to include cattleman who worked from horse back, but all the same, none of these folks could afford an ornate silver mounted knife like this.

Knives of this standard were owned by ranch owners, their overseers and high ranking military men.

In the 19th century, the general practice was for local silversmiths to mount European trade blades, almost invariably stamped with the manufacturers brand, or with cut down discarded sword and bayonet blades for the larger ones. With time blades were refitted with new mountings and also some ornate and valuable mountings were fitted with new blades of various provenances, all this making full identification very difficult.

Your knife, while consistent with the general format of Criollo knives, has scabbard and handle features that do not fit the patterns that were turned out by the local silversmiths and could have been made in Europe. I must also mention that a somewhat small number of ornate fully mounted knives in this pattern were manufactured at the great European cutlery centers and exported to the Pampean regions. Also this knife may well pertain to Brazil or Uruguay rather than Argentina.

For a better evaluation, you could drop a line to Abel Domenech, fluent in English and the foremost authority on these knives.

Cheers
Chris

[ASPaulding]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

ASPaulding,

The correct name for these knives is Cuchillo Criollo’ rather than `Gaucho Knives’, Gauchos were originally vagabonds who roamed the Pampas and could not anywhere afford a lavish piece like this. Throughout the 19th century the term gaucho morphed to include cattleman who worked from horse back, but all the same, none of these folks could afford an ornate silver mounted knife like this.

Knives of this standard were owned by ranch owners, their overseers and high ranking military men.

In the 19th century, the general practice was for local silversmiths to mount European trade blades, almost invariably stamped with the manufacturers brand, or with cut down discarded sword and bayonet blades for the larger ones. With time blades were refitted with new mountings and also some ornate and valuable mountings were fitted with new blades of various provenances, all this making full identification very difficult.

Your knife, while consistent with the general format of Criollo knives, has scabbard and handle features that do not fit the patterns that were turned out by the local silversmiths and could have been made in Europe. I must also mention that a somewhat small number of ornate fully mounted knives in this pattern were manufactured at the great European cutlery centers and exported to the Pampean regions. Also this knife may well pertain to Brazil or Uruguay rather than Argentina.

For a better evaluation, you could drop a line to Abel Domenech, fluent in English and the foremost authority on these knives.

Cheers
Chris

Thank you Chris, I did not know there was such a variation in these blades. I will do more research and email Abel to see what his thoughts are. I have never heard the term Cuchillo Criollo. I appreciate you bringing it to my attention. I new the nicer examples where generally owned by the ranch owner but I did not think my knife was a fancy example. Thank you again for the information.

[Chris Evans]

Originally Posted by ASPaulding

I will do more research and email Abel to see what his thoughts are.

If you do, please post his reply.

Cheers
Chris

[Fernando K]

Hello

A little late I discovered this thread. I assume that the first photograph shows the blade of the knife in the only position in which it can enter the scabbard, because the rim allows only one position. So the placement is reversed. If the set was worn at the waist, on the back, the handle should be on the far right, so that the hand, with the back down and the palm up, would take it and take out the knife handled correctly, with the edge down. The same if the knife was "verijero" that is to be carried at the waist, and in front, the handle should be on the opposite side, to be taken by hand naturally and without any effort and the blade removed from the scabbard.

Affectionately

[ASPaulding]

Originally Posted by Chris Evans

If you do, please post his reply.

Cheers
Chris

Abel has replied to my email. He was kind enough to let me share them with this group. Thank you

"Dear Adam:

I apologize for my big delay in answering your kind first mail. I´m very sorry but I was traveling abroad when I received the first one and I needed my computer at my return to view the pictures in detail.

Now, answering your inquire: You have a very beautiful and interesting knife. Definitively it is of Brazilian origin, probably made in Southern Brazil in the early XIX Century considering the shape of its blade.

This type of knife was made for owners of Fazendas (In Argentina: Estancias, in USA Ranch). As you know Southern Brazil has a similar gaucho tradition as in my Country, Argentina as well as Uruguay.

Gauchos were very poor people and couldn´t afford this kind of luxury knives or other silver objects in general.

The use of the lady hand for the hook sheath is typical of Brazilian knives and also the shape of the handle. The hand was later copied by certain silversmiths in Argentine and Uruguay territories. The sheath decoration is also very typical of very early gaucho knives. We can classify this knife as a "puñal" for its shape.

The knife made for me by Canali is a modern work of several years ago in a handle and sheath for a very old knife blade I owned.

You can observe that there is a little hook in the end of the sheath hook. Also there is a small hole in the decoration of the tip of sheath called "batiente" in Spanish.

This is so because this type of knives had a small chain going permanently attached to the hole in the extreme of sheath and other end of chain had a small ring to hung on the little hook.

This was a custom only used in Brazil to secure the sheath to the belt and avoid loosing the knife while riding a horse. Rarely the chain is still present in these old knives today but some knives still have them.

Interesting the inscription on the blade. It was surely made by the owner because it was crudely made with a very pointed instrument on the hard surface of blade. Regrettably I tried to read it but couldn´t get what it says.

It seems to end with "fonso" ... may be the name was "Alfonso" ?? Or I´m mistaken. I´m really curious to know.

Congratulations on this wonderful piece Adam.

Again, please forgive my delay in answering you, and I hope you find these comments of interest and that they add to the enjoyment of your nice knife.

Best cordial regards, Abel"

[Chris Evans]

ASPaulding.

Many thanks for posting Abel's very informative reply.

Cheers
Chris

[Ian]

What a wonderful reply. Abel is a great person and very generous with sharing his knowledge. He is the epitome of a gentleman and a scholar.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by Ian

What a wonderful reply. Abel is a great person and very generous with sharing his knowledge. He is the epitome of a gentleman and a scholar.

Agree complete! Great info, thank you.