Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Creative Commons License
Penknife from the Gun Set of Mahmud I
(Islamic World )
Included in the so-called "Turkish Hunting Set," this penknife is part of the writing set that is contained inside of the pen box (Walters 51.78) which in turn fits into the butt of the Ottoman gun (Walters 51.87). The knife's steel blade is short in comparison to the long, nephrite seven-sided handle. To make a clean cut in a hard reed, the blade had to be sharp. Penknives were important elements in the calligrapher's toolset, and their handles were often elaborately decorated like this one. This blade and handle are decorated in gold on both sides and the handle is ornamented with small emeralds and rubies. In the shape of a leaf or small tear-drop is a stamped maker's mark of the smith on the blade.
Inscription
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Robert S. Pardo, Constantinople; purchased by Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1903; by bequest to Walters Art Museum, 1931.
Exhibitions
| 2015-2016 | Pearls on a String: Artists, Patrons, and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore; Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. |
| 2011 | The Art of Writing Instruments from Paris to Persia. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| Treatment | Examined, cleaned. | |
| Treatment | Examined and cleaned in preparation for exhibition. | |
| Examination | Cleaned in preparation for exhibition. | |
| 4/29/1981 | Examination | examined for condition |
Geographies
Turkey (Place of Origin)
Measurements
H: 5/16 × W: 3/8 × L: 5 15/16 in. (0.8 × 1 × 15.1 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1903
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
57.620
