Knife with ibex-head pommel and malachite

Knife with ibex-head pommel and malachite

2015.2.2

Ancient & Classical

A bronze knife embellished with a pommel in the shape of the head of an ibex (a wild goat); the eyes and nostrils of the creature are inlaid with turquoise, and the horns arch back to touch the neck of the animal behind the ear; a second loop in the shape of a stylized bird head was added as a suspension device, curving from the snout of the ibex to the handle of the knife; the hilt of the knife is further embellished with a series of indented parallel lines and small triangles; a transverse ridge exists, separating the hilt from the blade and projecting on the cutting edge of the knife

Bronze

Bronze

12 5/8" L x 2" W x 3/8" D

1300 BCE