Horn Knife Handle, wreck of Liefde, Shetland

3D Model

Decorated horn knife handle, 64-69-DG-27

This horn knife handle is cared for in the collections at Shetland Museum and Archives. It has two splits along one edge and is decorated with a floral pattern. It was recovered by maritime archaeologists from the shipwreck of the Dutch East Indiaman, Liefde (The Love), which was wrecked on the 7th November 1711 on the south side of Mio Ness, Housay, Out Skerries. There was only one survivor. Find out more about Liefde at http://bit.ly/2Cq5eiz This decorated handle may have been part of a knife used in the captain’s dining table ware or it may have been part of the ship’s cargo. The metal blade has rusted away during its time at the bottom of the sea. Find out more about Shetland Museum collections at http://bit.ly/2W8OhAP This is part of the “New Connections” Virtual Museum, funded by Museums Galleries Scotland and the Hugh Fraser Foundation, see irc.hw.ac.uk/new-connections.html