Unusual Bulgarian Knife

[gp]

Originally Posted by eftihis

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What is very interesting is the ending of the handle where we can see a lion holding an open book, an image that reminds me very much Venice.
Propably then, it comes from an area of the Balkans that was once under venetian domination or influence, and this design just continued to be made because of habit even in the 19th century under Ottoman domination.

you're 100 % correct: it is indeed Venetian and can be found all over the Southern part of what was called the Dalmatian coast.

You can see the Venetian Lion in Southern Croatian Adriatic towns; specially the gates, coinage (coins used in Croatian Dalmatia), etc.
But also Kotor or Cattaro as it was called in the past in today's Montenegro ( picture of the Medieval city wall) when the Venetian Republic covered both sides of the Adriatic Sea as can be seen on the map

and could have easily travelled its way later through the Mediterranean to Crete , to the likes of Captain Michaelis ( with thnx to and reference to Nikos Kazantzakis!☼)