Please Help with Solingen Knife?

[kronckew]

The sheath seems rather crudely made compared to the knife itself, I'd think it was a later hurried addition due to loss of the original sheath or scabbard.

It deserves a better one.

P.s. - The fennec fox: (the winter arctic fox also looks a lot like the carving)

[Victrix]

Could the creature be a kangaroo baby (Australia) in its mother’s pocket or a llama with a craning neck (Peru)?

[kronckew]

Still think it's a fox. There are two Llamas in the field next to me, about 50 metres away as I type. they do not look anywhere close.

This little guy, A red fox, does...We also have a foxy visitor much like it almost every night, my dog wants to play with it. But not in a good way. It was about 20 feet away last night when I turned on my headlamp and saw it's reflective eyes, it came a bit closer to get to a path thru the hedges at the boundary just as poppy decided it was time to turn around, see it and get excited. Holding back a 25 kilo dog berserker intent on mayhem is not my favourite activity.

Edited:

Added a photo of the neighbours, well, 3/5 of them. There is another horse and a black Llama I cropped out as I was trying to get a pic of Mr. Piggy. He has a set of tusks that would make nice knife handles.

[David R]

To my eye, the ivory carving looks very Chinese or Japanese, and a nice example of such. Possibly "re-purposed" as a hilt from something else. A walking stick or parasol handle perhaps. Which then has me seeing this as a sailors memento or curio.

[thinreadline]

Originally Posted by David R

To my eye, the ivory carving looks very Chinese or Japanese, and a nice example of such. Possibly "re-purposed" as a hilt from something else. A walking stick or parasol handle perhaps. Which then has me seeing this as a sailors memento or curio.

I do agree David ... I think this is a composite , the handle coming from a non knife related item , the blade reshaped from some larger blade , perhaps a carving knife and the scabbard a chance unrelated find . The scabbard is clearly for a spear pointed knife , not a clip blade such as this. The quality of the grip far exceeds the blade and the scabbard.

[asomotif]

Originally Posted by David R

To my eye, the ivory carving looks very Chinese or Japanese, and a nice example of such. Possibly "re-purposed" as a hilt from something else. A walking stick or parasol handle perhaps. Which then has me seeing this as a sailors memento or curio.

Dear David,

seriously ? can you show me japanese or chinese carvings in this style ?

Best regards,
Willem

[Bryce]

G'day Guys,
That animal is definitely not a wallaby or kangaroo!
Cheers,
Bryce

[David R]

Originally Posted by asomotif

Dear David,

seriously ? can you show me japanese or chinese carvings in this style ?

Best regards,
Willem

I know that a fair bit of carved ivory came from the Far East in the the 19th century, some of it made for export, and for items like parasol and walking stick handles. As such, they do not exactly match the products for domestic consumption. What I was going by was the skill in the carving, and the the use of staining to bring out fine detail. It would also explain why it is hard to decide on the exact subject, mouse, rabbit, hare or one of those less familiar beasties, such as the Ezo momonga, though the ears are a giveaway here.
However, I may be wrong, and I await your suggestion of the carvings origin with a fair bit of interest.