Need help by identification of a knife

RobT · 29th December 2007, 04:36 PM

Hi Henk,
Indeed the knife itself could have a Turkish origin but I think it unlikely that a Muslim Turk would have adorned it with a representational engraving let alone one taken from Greek Mythology. It is possible that a person of Greek origin living in Turkey (or in Greece for that matter) had the engraving done but that would be a case of a westerner using a motif from his western heritage. While it is true that certain aspects of the Greek aesthetic were carried into India with the conquests of Alexander, that was a long time ago. Your blade can't date to that period and I have been led to understand that the Greek influence in the subcontinent was short lived with only surviving antiquities to attest to its presence. Given this, I would consider it unlikely that an Indian living in the 18th or 19th century would have chosen a minor character from Greek mythology as a subject for engraving. All this having been said however, the blade does have a non-western look about it and I think inglered's proposal that this is a European trade (rehilted to local taste) the most likely.
Sincerely,
RobT

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29th December 2007, 04:36 PM	#17
RobT Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 536	Hi Henk, Indeed the knife itself could have a Turkish origin but I think it unlikely that a Muslim Turk would have adorned it with a representational engraving let alone one taken from Greek Mythology. It is possible that a person of Greek origin living in Turkey (or in Greece for that matter) had the engraving done but that would be a case of a westerner using a motif from his western heritage. While it is true that certain aspects of the Greek aesthetic were carried into India with the conquests of Alexander, that was a long time ago. Your blade can't date to that period and I have been led to understand that the Greek influence in the subcontinent was short lived with only surviving antiquities to attest to its presence. Given this, I would consider it unlikely that an Indian living in the 18th or 19th century would have chosen a minor character from Greek mythology as a subject for engraving. All this having been said however, the blade does have a non-western look about it and I think inglered's proposal that this is a European trade (rehilted to local taste) the most likely. Sincerely, RobT