Carved in the round.

A small ring in the lion’s mouth is missing.

…; bequeathed to the museum by Baron Franciscus Gijsbertus Staaskin van Brakell tot den Brakell (1809-1878), Arnhem, 1878

Object number: BK-VBR-299

Credit line: F.G.S. Baron van Brakell tot den Brakell Bequest, Arnhem

This boxwood handle comprises three female figures, placed back-to-back. They symbolize the divine virtues. A lion lies on top of their heads. Faith (Fides) has as her attributes a cross and a book, Hope (Spes) an anchor and a bird and Charity (Caritas) is accompanied by three children. The handle is of a popular type that originated around 1600 in the Netherlands or the Rhineland, where imitations were being made until into the eighteenth century sometimes in a different style or with slight variations in composition.¹¹Cf. R.H. Randall, Masterpieces of Ivory from the Walters Art Gallery, coll. cat. Baltimore 1985, no. 392. The provenance of some of the later examples can be traced directly to Amsterdam.²²Cf. J.C. Gallois, Messen en vorken in Nederland, 1500-1800/Knives and Forks in the Netherlands, 1500-1800, exh. cat. The Hague (Gemeentemuseum) 1972, no. 17a (Amsterdam coat of arms); J. van Trigt, Cutlery from Gothic to Art Deco: The J. Hollander Collection, exh. cat. Ghent (Design Museum Ghent) 2003, no. 163 (the crown is the same as that on Amsterdam’s Westerkerk). In view of the great similarity to a knife handle in the Georg Laue collection (Munich), of which the accompanying boxwood sheath is dated ‘1609’,³³G. Laue (ed.), Kostbare Bestecke für die Kunstkammern Europas/Precious Cutlery for European Kunstkammer, coll. cat. Munich (Kunstkammer Georg Laue) 2010, no. 47. the present item is most probably one of the early examples. With later examples the group of virtues generally numbers a fourth female figure representing Justice (Justitia) and the heads of children or angels are situated above the women’s heads.⁴⁴Cf. J. Amme, Historische Bestecke: Formenwandel von der Altsteinzeit bis zur Moderne/ Historic Cutlery: Changes in Form from the Early Stone Age to the Mid-20th Century, Stuttgart 2001, no. 347; K. Marquardt, Europäisches Essbesteck aus acht Jahrhunderten: Eine Kunstsammlung, Stuttgart 1997, no. 45; A. Pabst, Besteck-Sammlung: Speise-, Tisch-, Gärtner-, Geräte und Werkzeuge: Fünfzig Tafeln in Lichtdruck, Berlin 1893, no. 18; J. van Trigt, Cutlery from Gothic to Art Deco: The J. Hollander Collection, exh. cat. Ghent (Design Museum Ghent) 2003, nos. 126 and 163; J.C. Gallois, Messen en vorken in Nederland, 1500-1800/Knives and Forks in the Netherlands, 1500-1800, exh. cat. The Hague (Gemeentemuseum) 1972, no. 17a. Another handle in the museum representing the five senses shows a similar composition (BK-KOG-1664).

Bieke van der Mark, 2025

J. Leeuwenberg with the assistance of W. Halsema-Kubes, Beeldhouwkunst in het Rijksmuseum, coll. cat. Amsterdam 1973, no. 343

B. van der Mark, 2025, 'anonymous, Faith, Hope and Charity, Handle of a Knife or Fork, Netherlands, c. 1600 - c. 1650', in F. Scholten and B. van der Mark (eds.), European Sculpture in the Rijksmuseum, online coll. cat. Amsterdam: https://data.rijksmuseum.nl/20068673