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Object Timeline

-0001

1985

  • We acquired this object.

2006

2015

2025

  • You found it!

Sheath for a Cutlery Set Sheath

This is a sheath. It was made by W.G.W.. It is dated 1589 and we acquired it in 1985. Its medium is fruitwood, silver. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

This object was donated by Eleanor L. Metzenberg. It is credited The Robert L. Metzenberg Collection, gift of Eleanor L. Metzenberg.

Its dimensions are

L x W x D (overall): 21.5 × 3.2 × 2.4 cm (8 7/16 × 1 1/4 × 15/16 in.) L x W x D (sheath a): 20 × 2.9 × 2.1 cm (7 7/8 × 1 1/8 × 13/16 in.) L x W x D (cap b): 3.1 × 2.8 × 2.4 cm (1 1/4 × 1 1/8 × 15/16 in.)

It has the following markings

On silver cap: [1] "V" in contoured reserve, impressed (Dutch tax mark for foreign made silver articles, in use 1813-1953)

It is inscribed

On side of sheath: [1] initials "W G W", carved in relief (possibly mark of workshop or maker, or an abbreviation of a motto) [2] "1589", carved in relief (date made)

Cite this object as

Sheath for a Cutlery Set Sheath; Made by W.G.W.; Netherlands; fruitwood, silver; L x W x D (overall): 21.5 × 3.2 × 2.4 cm (8 7/16 × 1 1/4 × 15/16 in.) L x W x D (sheath a): 20 × 2.9 × 2.1 cm (7 7/8 × 1 1/8 × 13/16 in.) L x W x D (cap b): 3.1 × 2.8 × 2.4 cm (1 1/4 × 1 1/8 × 15/16 in.); The Robert L. Metzenberg Collection, gift of Eleanor L. Metzenberg; 1985-103-42-a,b

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://www-4.collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18804281/ |title=Sheath for a Cutlery Set Sheath |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=11 February 2025 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>