A Rare Faroe Islands Whaling Knife
Circa 1869
With plain sharply pointed single-edged blade, hilt comprising short brass quillons with small button terminals, brass basal mount of tapering circular section, and bone-mounted ebony grip of slightly tapering circular section inlaid on both sides with decorative brass panels either side of a central line of rectangular and circular pieces of bone and mother-of-pearl, all between lines of inlaid brass wrigglework, in original two-piece ebony scabbard secured by three slender brass bands, the outside inlaid with a brass whale, harpoons and a hook, the inside with old handwritten and printed paper labels (two copies of the original) reading '493-Faroes filching Knife, brought by Captain Calver, from the Faroe Islands, who [was] in command of the scientific expedition of 1869' and ' ..lching knife ... blubber from Whales.'
19.4 cm. blade