Shagreen Trousse
Full Description:
This classical and very well made Chinese eating trousse consists of a single-edged knife, a pair of chopsticks, two concealed toothpicks and a pair of tweezers on a chain.
The knife’s hilt has grip scales of polished animal horn, with a pommel and lower section of elephant ivory. The grips are secured with steel pins and each side has ten decorative conical silver rivet-heads. The blade is forged from high quality steel with the traces of a Chinese inscription which is indistinct from having been worn by repeated polishing.
The wooden scabbard is covered with emerald green shagreen with an ivory chape. The scabbard houses two elephant ivory toothpicks, a pair of brass tweezers chased with floral patterns and attached by means of a brass chain, and two round-section chopsticks of ivory. The tweezers suggest that these sets served various functions, including that of grooming; perhaps a modern-day comparison could be made with the Swiss Army knife!
Catalogue Notes
For further information about Chinese knives see item number 1.