Hunting Knife with Sheath
Unknown Artist
16th–19th century
Medium
Steel, bone, wood
Dimensions
L. with sheath 21 1/4 in. (54 cm); L. without sheath 18 in. (45.7 cm); L. of blade 13 in. (33 cm); W. 2 1/2 in. (6.4 cm); Wt. 12.4 oz. (351.5 g); Wt. of sheath 2.6 oz. (73.7 g)
Classification
Knives
Culture
Javanese
Department
Arms and Armor
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935
Accession Number
36.25.1005a, b
Art Historical Context
This exquisite Javanese hunting knife with sheath, dating from the 16th 19th century, exemplifies the practical artistry of Southeast Asian craftsmanship. Crafted from steel for the 13-inch blade, with a handle and sheath of bone and wood, it measures 21¼ inches long with its sheath and weighs just over a pound. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Arms and Armor Department, it entered the collection through the 1935 bequest of George C. Stone, a renowned collector of global weaponry. In Javanese culture, such knives were essential tools for hunting and survival in Indonesia's lush land...