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Description: | Incomplete Late Roman copper alloy openwork folding knife or razor handle, depicting a hound running along solid ground biting the rump of a hare in front. It is missing its iron blade and apparantly part of the handle itself (the hound's lower back leg and 'solid ground' beneath dog on one side only). It measures 53.64x15.84x4.81mm and weighs 11.23g.
The hound and hare are naturalistic enough, but rather crudely done. The hare has a large rounded snout, a moulded triangle either side of a head triangular in section (for ears) and a bump at the end of the rather thin body for the tail. Its back elgs are bent and long while the front bent and short. The dog also has a rounded snout which joins to and just behind the hare's tail. Its body is slightly more naturalistic and curved, the long fore leg bent in an angular 'S'. The back leg has a pronounced knee joint (on one side only).
The surviving section of solid ground beneath the dog shows a patch of iron staining at the very end. Otherwise the underside has a groove, where the blade would have rested when folded. The 'missing' leg and solid ground is not obviously broken, with no sharp edge or change in patina.
This form of folding knife is relatively common (the representation of the hunt was a popular theme throughout Roman material culture, particularly in the 4th century) and while attention to detail and workmanship vary the form is always the same, with the hound on the point of catching the hare. Examples can be found illustrated in Hattatt (1989, 496-497; refs. 242, 243) and on the Portable Antiquities Database, the more complete examples including BH-370C33 and NARC-03BF62. | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Creator: | Hinds, Katie - Portable Antiquities Scheme | Identifier: | http://www.findsdatabase.org.uk/hms/pas_... | Language: | en-GB | Go to resource |
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