GJPaw Auctions is very pleased to offer an antique iron Fisherman’s folding knife, from Dongbei or Shanxi Province, China. In Chinese society the fisherman represents one of the four basic occupations, along with farmer, scholar, and woodcutter. The legendary Fu-Xi is said to have been the first to introduce the Chinese to catching and eating fish. The value of the fisherman, who provides the Chinese with their major source of food along with rice is clear from Shao Yong's famous "Talks on Fisherman and Woodcutters" (c.1050). Also, in Chinese the word for fish is a homonym for wealth or abundance, so the fisherman can have greater symbolic meaning of self-reliance when seeking fortune. In China as in many cultures, knives have dually been utilized as both a weapon and an eating implement since prehistoric times. A basic pre-modern fixed or folding knife would comprise of the blade; the handle; the point - the end of the knife used for piercing; the edge - the cutting surface of the knife extending from the point to the heel; the grind - the cross section of the blade; and the spine - thickest section of the blade. Early blades were usually made from rock, bone or flint, and later bronze, copper and iron. Prior to modern times, most handles would be made from either wood or bone, the latter being preferred due to the lack water absorption. This powerfully evocative folding knife is made of iron and measure 5.5 inches in width by 1.5 inches in depth (13.9 cm by 3.81 cm). It shows wear consistent with use, but overall is in very good condition, dating probably from the mid to late 19th century. It is guaranteed authentic and form part of an important collection of Chinese art, objects and furniture.
GJPaw Auctions has been in the Art business for over 25 years and is now expanding its operation to eBay. Our goal is to bring the same experience and excitement of collecting that we have been delivering in-person to collectors across the globe at Primitive in Chicago. Every object we sell online has been carefully hand-selected with special attention to detail, quality, and significance. We ship worldwide. Add GJPaw to Sellers you Follow and please take a moment to look at our other auction items.
A0910-048