Chinese Fisherman's Knife

Golden minnow with scales, a split tail and a bright copper eye.

This fisherman's knife is from Dongbei or Shan Xi Province, China, and dates to the 19th century. It is iron, wood & horn. Knives of iron with wooden or horn handles were everyday tools in rural northern China, where they were used for cutting line, cleaning fish and general work. Slim fish form in mottled gold and brown, with a forked tail finely scored in lines. A coppery eye sits near the right end, joined to a dark tab pierced with a small hole. It is 4 inches wide and 0.75 deep.

Small fry, finely finished, and a little bit cheeky.