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| Click on image for larger size. The Princess Alexandra Pocket Knife Denmark, 1863 The Victoria & Albert Museum |
We know at once by the monogram that this belonged to Queen Alexandra. She was known as Princess of Alexandra of Denmark until she married Queen Victoria’s eldest son—the Prince of Wales. As the Princess of Wales, Alexandra captured the affection of Britain with her beauty and her devotion to a variety of causes. When the Princes of Wales ascended the throne as King Edward VII, Alexandra became the Queen Consort and—despite her increasing deafness, frequent inability to walk and her husband’s very public infidelities—served the Empire to the best of her abilities.
This penknife of etched, blued and gilded steel was made to commemorate the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra. On one side of the knife is adorned with the letter A, set between the arms of England and Sweden and Norway. The other side’s decoration is a little more peculiar. It shows to images of interlacing monsters between which is a seated figure of a Norseman playing a harp—as one does when seated between two monsters.
The penknife was made in Denmark for the Princess of Wales in 1863.
This penknife of etched, blued and gilded steel was made to commemorate the marriage of the Prince of Wales to Princess Alexandra. On one side of the knife is adorned with the letter A, set between the arms of England and Sweden and Norway. The other side’s decoration is a little more peculiar. It shows to images of interlacing monsters between which is a seated figure of a Norseman playing a harp—as one does when seated between two monsters.
The penknife was made in Denmark for the Princess of Wales in 1863.
2 comments:
Nice. It would be interesting to see the other side of this knife. Knives like this were made until recently by EKA in Eskilstuna, Sweden. I saw this knife many years ago in the V&A and found a similar one on an auction site recently and bought it for 40 euros.
Made by the Eskilstuna Knife Factory (EKA) in Sweden. Similar "lobsters" can still be found.
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