Catalog Number
|
Catalog Number |
CAS 0370-1268 | |
| Category | Culinary Items; Jewelry & Metalwork | |
| Object Name | Cake knife | |
| Culture | Navajo | |
| Global Region | North America | |
| Country | USA | |
| State/Prov./Dist. | Arizona | |
| County | Pinal | |
| Other Geographic Data | City: Scottsdale | |
| Maker's Name | Kenneth Begay (1913-1977) (attributed) | |
| Date of Manufacture | ca. 1959 | |
| Collection Name | Elkus Collection (Native American) | |
| Materials | Metal: Silver | |
| Description | Hand forged single-edged cake knife with slightly convex cutting edge whose width expands toward distal end and whose back edge is terraced as it curves downward at distal end; Solid silver handle curves gracefully toward proximal end where it curves around in J-shape; Pair of parallel lines is stamped along upper edge of handle on both faces, following the contours of the handle; Knife is unsigned. Eleanor Begay (Kenneth Begay’s wife) said in November 1978 that the weight balance of this piece was right for her husband’s work, whose cutlery was always balanced, but she could not say for sure that this was his work. Kay Begay Rogers (April 2015) affirmed that this knife looks like her father’s work, and thought that it possibly had a knife stand with it, and if so, the stand might have been stamped with the appropriate hallmarks. | |
| Dimensions (cm) | Width = 4.5, Length = 26.0 | |