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Description: | A cast copper alloy and iron Roman folding knife; the cast copper-alloy handle depicts a nude standing figure, possibly female. The handle is sub-rectangular and openwork. An iron blade has corroded in its folded position within a slot in the handle. The blade is hinged on an iron rivet at the base of the handle which is a pedestal. Corrosion product has spread from the rivet across much of the pedestal. The remnant of the blade, as well as the length of the slot, implies that the blade would have been a minimum of c. 63mm long. The handle has a mid-grey/green incomplete patina with some wear and corrosion.The handle is modeled in the round, and depicts a standing female figure whose left hand is covering her genitalia and her right hand is placed on the top of her head. There is a sub-circular openwork between this arm and head. She is naked except for a plain bracelet on each wrist, an undecorated armulet on one upper arm. There is also a plain band around each ankle. The legs are crossed enabling one foot to be flat on the pedestal and the other with the heel raised. The nipples are depicted by small circular low-relief pellets and the breasts are simplistic in their form. The details of the face are not clear due to the patina not being present through corrosion and abrasion. The hair on the reverse is moulded in the form of horizontal bands. The figure has a narrow waist, defined buttocks and quite stout legs. The pedestal which the figure is stood on is rectangular and decorated with a linear groove towards the upper edge. The knife and handle measure 79.37mm long, 19.15mm wide, 9mm thick at the pedestal and rivet, and weighs 39.5g.Roman folding knife handles are most commonly seen in the form of a hound chasing a hare, but there are others known with figures for example in erotic scenes (HAMP-4D3135, LIN-536F87, or SF-A23522), or in the form of a gladiator (NCL-393023), or wrestling (LIN-159B86). This one appears to represent Venus. All these folding knives date to the Roman period.
Original Image | Publisher: | http://finds.org.uk | Source: | Portable Antiquities | Identifier: | http://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/r... | Go to resource |
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