French Bronze Cicada Paper Knife by M. Bertin, 1900
You must be a subscriber, and be logged in to view price and dealer details.
Subscribe Now to view actual auction price for this item
When you subscribe, you have the option of setting the currency in which to display prices to $Au, $US, $NZ or Stg.
- Bronze - An alloy of copper and tin, traditionally in the proportions of about 9 parts of copper to 1 part of tin.
The discovery of bronze in Western Asia in the 4th century enabled people to create metal objects which were superior to those previoulsy possible because of its strength and hardness, and it has been used throughout the world for weapons, coins, tools, statuary and other decorative items.
It is very fluid in a molten state, and its hardness, strength when set, and non-corrosive properties makes it most suitable for casting sculpture. - Circa - A Latin term meaning 'about', often used in the antique trade to give an approximate date for the piece, usually considered to be five years on either side of the circa year. Thus, circa 1900 means the piece was made about 1900, probably between 1895 and 1905. The expression is sometimes abbreviated to c.1900.
This item has been included into following indexes:
Visually similar items
Two various Aboriginal message sticks. Older, weathered hardwood with carved message to each side. Length 27 cm (each)
A Gope board, decorated with incised and painted image of an ancestral figure, Papuan Gulf, Papua New Guinea, length 66 cm
An early Papuan Gulf Implement, in hardwood with incised motif, decorated with pipeclay, old patina, Papuan Gulf region PNG. Provenance: The Dr George Soutter and Dr John Yu collection, length 60 cm
Three old Marapai charms, Papuan Gulf 19th century, [3], all finely incised with anthropomorphic faces and infill lime decoration. Provenance: James Tyrrell's Curios. Tyrrell was born in Sydney in 1875 and in 1888 started work for the Sydney bookshop Angus