Dolk Atjeh-oorlog 1916

Here's a dagger, the Dolk Atjeh-oorlog, made by an anonymous maker. You can really imagine someone's hand working on this, filing away at the blade, bit by bit, to get that cold, hard, smooth surface. I wonder, was the artist thinking about protection, or power, or maybe even something more abstract, like the idea of sharpness itself? Making this object would be all about being very precise and controlled but at the same time there must have been a playful quality to the labor - decorating the hilt with delicate filigree - this is an object to admire! It looks like the kind of weapon you might see in a theatre production of Hamlet. All those little details are what give the piece its charge. You can see the artist's hand and mind at work. It’s a reminder that artists, even anonymous ones, are always in conversation with each other across time.