Object details
Object number
M11n14.a-b
Creator(s)
Japanese
Title
Knife in Fan-Shaped Case
Date
mid 19th century - late 19th century
Medium
Lacquered wood with metal blade
Dimensions
30.2 cm (11 7/8 in.)
Provenance
Entered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
Commentary
This style of dagger, traditionally known as a tanto dagger in Japanese culture, originated and evolved throughout Japan’s feudal period. It was worn primarily by men and women of the Samurai social class. Concealing the tanto dagger in a fan-shaped case first appeared in the early to mid-19th century. Folding fans were customary items in Japanese gatherings and provided an unassuming method of concealment.Isabella kept this one in her desk in the Macknight Room.
Bibliography
Ellen Dennis. "A Note on the Fans in the Collection." Fenway Court (1984), p. 49. (as Japanese)Kathleen King, "Isabella's Folding Fan of Deception," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 11 May 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-folding-fan-deception Kathleen King, "Isabella's Desk of Curiosities in the Macknight Room," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 31 May 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-desk-curiosities-macknight-room
Gallery
Macknight Room
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