Eastern Woodlands, United States
Early 19th century or earlier
Wood with buckskin wrapping
Length 12 1/4" (31.1 cm)
Provenance: Found in a 19th century tool box in Florida
The crooked knife, known traditionally as the mocotaugen, is a one handed carving tool featuring a bent handle and an upswept blade, used across Eastern Woodlands and Subarctic traditions for shaping wood, bone, and other materials. This example is distinguished by its handle, carved in the highly realistic form of a fish, with attention to surface detail that elevates the object well beyond ordinary tool production. The buckskin wrapping at the grip is original and intact, consistent with early 19th century or earlier manufacture.
The fish form handle reflects a tradition of investing functional objects with sculptural and symbolic content, a practice widespread among Eastern Woodlands carvers who understood utility and artistry as inseparable. Every detail of the carving speaks to a maker of considerable skill, working within a tradition that brought the same care to everyday implements as to ceremonial objects. The Florida provenance, recovered from a 19th century tool box, suggests the knife passed into non indigenous hands early and was preserved through that context.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Eastern Woodlands, United States
Early 19th century or earlier
Wood with buckskin wrapping
Length 12 1/4" (31.1 cm)
Provenance: Found in a 19th century tool box in Florida
The crooked knife, known traditionally as the mocotaugen, is a one handed carving tool featuring a bent handle and an upswept blade, used across Eastern Woodlands and Subarctic traditions for shaping wood, bone, and other materials. This example is distinguished by its handle, carved in the highly realistic form of a fish, with attention to surface detail that elevates the object well beyond ordinary tool production. The buckskin wrapping at the grip is original and intact, consistent with early 19th century or earlier manufacture.
The fish form handle reflects a tradition of investing functional objects with sculptural and symbolic content, a practice widespread among Eastern Woodlands carvers who understood utility and artistry as inseparable. Every detail of the carving speaks to a maker of considerable skill, working within a tradition that brought the same care to everyday implements as to ceremonial objects. The Florida provenance, recovered from a 19th century tool box, suggests the knife passed into non indigenous hands early and was preserved through that context.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
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