Eating Knife with a Handle of Brightly Coloured Venetian Murano Millefiore Glass

Period: 1600-1700

Origin: England

Medium: silver, Iron, copper and glass

Literature: It was a custom in England from the time of Henry VIII’s reign (1509-1547) to give a pair of knives as a part of the bridal trousseau, but the custom of giving knives has much a longer tradition on the European continent. The ‘Attestation of Knife’ was a practice in 14th Century France of presenting a purchaser with a knife when conveying property. The Cutlers company of London also have records dating from Elizabethan times of gifts of a pair of knives being presented to the wives of men who had helped the company.