Once in awhile on a Sunday I’ll do a search for scrimshaw or some variation of it. This morning I was thinking of trade scrimshaw. While making breakfast and avoiding technology (and putting off shoveling the snow from the driveway), I tried to describe trade scrimshaw as I would to someone unfamiliar with the term and came up with this: “Trade scrimshaw captures a subject with an efficient use of lines, stipples, shading and detail, creating a pleasing and memorable piece of art while minimizing the impact on the recipient’s wallet and the artist’s hours left on earth.” There are less cheeky definitions out on the web, but this one fits me like my comfortable wool flannel shirt and well worn dog-walking shoes.
It was while I was comparing my thoughts on trade scrimshaw with what was out on the web that I ran across https://www.fontenille-pataud.com/en/recherche?s=scrimshaw. The knives themselves are useful works of art – another fascination of mine. Art comes in a variety of forms: many are to be observed, studied, thought about and argued over but not touched – never touched. Useful works of art is probably not the best description of what I’m fascinated with, but “practical art” doesn’t fit either. Oh well.
The knives created by Fontenille-Petaud are truly beautiful from their choice of metal and finish to the selection of scales and filework, along with the mechanisms themselves. It is a pleasure to see such artistry and craftsmanship twenty five years into the 21st century.