Object Description
For sale is this very rare Guild of Handicraft silver butter knife by Charles Ashbee. A real gem of a piece. This rare design is largely only known from contemporary images and museum collections – see images. The Artist journal featured a similar knife in 1902 and an almost identical knife to this is in the V & A Collections.
The knife’s blade is a classic Guild of Handicraft design but the handle is unusually made of a lattice of wire work with central wire core. The top of the handle holds a translucent light green chrysoprase, with surrounding silver bead work. The knife is slightly longer (by c.2.0 cm) and heavier than the more often seen butter knife with ball insert inside the handle.
The knife is fully marked for GofH Ltd, London, 1900. Condition is excellent with age appropriate scratching visible to the blade. The chrysoprase is slightly asymmetric which may be original.