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Neolithic Flint Dagger

$11,000List Price

About the Item

A beautifully modelled flint dagger, produced by the Bell Beaker culture: from the hilt to the tip, the stone fades from dark black to a burnt shade of yellow, creating a delicate interplay of colour across the face of the blade. The dagger is bifacial and perfectly symmetrical, with two grooves chiselled in on either side to act as a grip - this marks out the piece as an especially fine example of its type, which, in its own day, would have been an emblem of high-status, made by a craftsperson of outstanding ability. Those two grooves, which form a violin-like shape around the hilt, are reminiscent of certain Palaeolithic idols discovered across the Near-East, thought to be among the first depictions of the human form in sculpture. Daggers such as this, from Late Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Denmark, are widely considered by archeologists to be the greatest achievements ever produced in flint-knapping, surpassing those of any other Stone Age culture - so much so that they have lent their name to the ‘Dagger Period’ (roughly 2800-1800 B.C.) to which they date. Since these daggers - commonly used, among other things, for the preparation of animal hides - were ultimately practical objects, one might conclude that they were the product of a kind of ‘cottage industry’ - in fact, their manufacture was a highly specialised and labour-intensive process. Senonian flint, specifically chosen for its durability, would be mined at places like Scania, or Bjerre in North Jutland, brought to the workshops of trained artisans, and made into tools and weapons to be traded across the region. As a result of the time and effort required to produce an object like this, these flint daggers were coveted possessions in their contemporary culture, and often show up in Neolithic burials, alongside amber bead jewellery and ceremonial axe-heads. The development of bifacial flint daggers was in many ways linked to the increasingly complex trade routes of the Late Stone Age - with the introduction of metal tools to Northern Europe from further south, the design of flint daggers began to mimic that of the copper and bronze daggers that were new to the region. There is much evidence to suggest that the metal prototypes that would have been the inspiration for flint ones such as this came to Scandinavia by boat, from Italy, connecting the northernmost reaches of Europe to the Mediterranean Basin. The distinctive double grooves on this dagger, mirroring the grip one might find on a copper or bronze equivalent, are a prime example of the results of these kinds of far-reaching cultural and mercantile networks. Height: 14.5 cm (5.7 inches) Provenance: - Early 20th century collection, according to old paper inventory label. - Collection of Monsieur F. B. (1950-2009), Normandy, France. - Subsequently French art market, 2021.

Dimensions:
Height: 5.71 in (14.5 cm)Width: 1.3 in (3.3 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)
Style:
Prehistoric (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Stone
Place of Origin:
Denmark
Period:
15th Century and Earlier
Date of Manufacture:
2800-1800 B.C.
Condition:
Seller Location:
London, GB
Reference Number:
Seller: 429521stDibs: LU1052231612442

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