Knife in Fan-Shaped Case
maker
Unknown
Datemid 19th century - late 19th century
Place MadeJapan, East Asia
MediumLacquered wood with metal blade
Dimensions30.2 cm (11 7/8 in.)
ClassificationsWeapons and Ammunition
Credit LineIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
Accession numberM11n14.a-b
eMuseum ID729848
Previous NumberU21cg18
EmbARK ObjectID11545
Previous Number169
TMS Source ID739
Last Updated8/14/24
Status
Not on viewWeb Commentary
This style of dagger, traditionally known as a tanto dagger in Japanese culture, originated and evolved throughout Japan’s feudal period. It was worn primarily by men and women of the Samurai social class. Concealing the tanto dagger in a fan-shaped case first appeared in the early to mid-19th century. Folding fans were customary items in Japanese gatherings and provided an unassuming method of concealment.
Isabella kept this one in her desk in the Macknight Room.
BibliographyNotesEllen Dennis. "A Note on the Fans in the Collection." Fenway Court (1984), p. 49. (as Japanese)
Kathleen King, "Isabella's Folding Fan of Deception," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 11 May 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-folding-fan-deception
Kathleen King, "Isabella's Desk of Curiosities in the Macknight Room," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 31 May 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-desk-curiosities-macknight-room
Kathleen King, "Isabella's Folding Fan of Deception," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 11 May 2021, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-folding-fan-deception
Kathleen King, "Isabella's Desk of Curiosities in the Macknight Room," Inside the Collection (blog), Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, 31 May 2022, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/blog/isabellas-desk-curiosities-macknight-room
ProvenanceNotesEntered Isabella Stewart Gardner's collection at an unknown date.
