THE KNIFE

-mans best friend ??

September 28 - November 24  1996

In the showcases in the café-area of the museum there is a small, but remarkable knife exhibition.

For several thousand years man have used a tool with a sharp edge - the knife. The first knives were pieces of bone, flint or something like that, and then came more durable materials like bronze, iron/steel and ceramics. This piece of tool, that we all use everyday for some purpose (butter a slice of bread, cut meat, open a package,....), have always been considered a high-value item, and in many cultures it has been such an indispensable part of the personal belongings, that the knife often was put in the grave with it’s owner. Because of it’s versatility the knife has been able to keep this position up to the industrialization, but together with the industrialization came the opportunity to make many knives very cheap, and the knife became (as most other articles for everyday use) something you buy, use and through away. In recent years there has been a clear tendency that people value quality, and this have given new life to some of the old dying craftsman-ships. This is also the case with bladesmithing and knife making. In this case quality is a broad term, as it describes both the quality of the product, the quality of owning a unique pieces of craftsmanship, and the quality of life that can be obtained when producing the knives. In Denmark we have an association for people who are interested in knives. This brings together knife collectors, blade smiths, knife makers and others who, in spite of their very different background, all value the qualities that can be found in craftsman like and esthetically well made knives.

This exhibition has been made in cooperation with local members of the Danish Knife makers Association, and the intention is to illustrate the above mentioned aspects. The exhibition shows examples of historic knives from the stone age, the bronze age and the iron age. Furthermore there are examples of handmade Danish knives from 1700-1900, and some of the earliest factory made knives. In a separate showcase knives made by some of the best contemporary Scandinavian makers are displayed to show how far you come. Then there is a showcase filled with many different materials that can be used in knife making, and some examples of the many different kinds of blades that can be found on the marked today. And finally the last showcase contains knives made by local knife makers.