Knife and its sheath

Mongolian Collection

Accession Nr.: 65.92.1-2
Type: object for daily use; costumes; accessory
Date of production:
turn of the 19th and 20th centuries
Place of production:
Materials: keratin; silver; steel; wood
Dimensions: width: 2 cm
length: 25.8 cm
The Mongolian belt set (Kalkha: xet xutga) consists of a knife, knife sheath, chopsticks, and a hand-forged fire starter set, which are attached to each other with a chain or ribbon, or hung on the belt. One such belt set is this cylindrical sheats made of wood, the surface of which is covered with silver plate decoration with tendril and meander patterns and with the Shou mark. A makara head can be seen at the bottom of the hanging ring and can be attached to the belt with a silver thread. In one part of the double-articulated sheats, there is a place for the knife and in the other part for the chopsticks. The chopsticks were missing when the object is has arrived at the museum, but later it were replaced with chopsticks made of bamboo. On the blade of the straight steel knife has a blood channel on both sides. The horn handle ends in silver-plated brass at the bottom and top as well.

This object belongs to the belt decoration inventory number HFM_65.92.2 and the flint pouch number HFM_65.92.3 .