Knitting sheath

1500-1650

Place madeFrance, Europe

Boxwood

Overall: 9 x 3/4 in. ( 22.9 x 1.9 cm )

Purchased from Elie Nadelman, 1937

Z.1809

This object was once part of the folk art collection of Elie Nadelman (1882-1946), the avant-garde sculptor. From 1924 to 1934, Nadelman's collection was displayed in his Museum of Folk Arts, located in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. The Historical Society purchased Nadelman's entire collection in 1937. The Nadelmans had a particular appreciation for knitting sheaths, acquiring more than twenty of them between 1924 and 1930. In use by the sixteenth century, knitting sheaths supported a knitting needle typically held in the right hand. Wearing the implement on the right hip, tucked into a belt or apron strings, the knitter inserted his or her working needle into a hole bored in the top of the sheath, freeing the fingers of the right hand and allowing the knitter to work more rapidly.

DescriptionTurned and carved wooden tapered hexagonal knitting sheath; acanthus leaves finial; body carved with five stories of archways; lower third decorated with a geometric design; heart-shaped tip at base.

ClassificationsSEWING TOOLS & EQUIPMENT

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