Ornament for Knife Handle 

This is a design for a knife handle, made by Theodor de Bry in the late 16th century. It is an etching, printed on paper. The choice of etching is significant, because the process is so closely linked to the goldsmith’s trade. De Bry started his career as a goldsmith, and this is the aesthetic he brought to printmaking. The image is constructed from crisp, definite lines, as though cut into metal. The etching would have been transferred to a handle made of precious materials: ivory, ebony, or perhaps even gold or silver. The image itself depicts a nude female figure, adorned with feathers and flanked by an hourglass. She is standing over a bowl of fruit and some wheat, referencing the abundance of nature. Such a striking object would have been a display of wealth, an assertion of power. But the labor of the goldsmith, and the cost of materials, would also have been part of the statement. It makes you wonder how differently a knife like this would be held, compared to one with a simple wooden handle.