Knife Box

Datec. 1850

DimensionsOverall: 15 1/4 × 14 1/2 × 9 3/4 in. (38.7 × 36.8 × 24.8 cm)

Object numberN0156.1961

Credit LineCollection of the Fenimore Art Museum. Gift of Stephen C. Clark

Photograph by Richard Walker

Label TextAfrican Americans expressed their identity through the creation of decorative objects as well as through depictions of self. This knife box, designed to hold cutlery, was crafted in the shape of a ship. Around the deck the artist placed rows of people, much like the tight rows on a slave ship. The bold, squared motifs on the box indicate that the carver was African American or perhaps was a person born in west Africa who remembered the crafts of his homeland. His people are straight and prominent. Below deck are vertical slits, much like iron bars. The box tells a story of the movement of people and of cultural identity. The maker identifies with the cultural traditions of African culture while creating a functional form based in European culture.
Exhibition History"Dimensions of Black," La Jolla Museum of Art, La Jolla, CA, February 14, 1970 - March 29, 1970.

"The Afro-American Tradition in Decorative Arts," Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, February 1, 1978 - April 2, 1978.

"Community Fabric: African-American Quilts and Folk Art," Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA, February 11, 1994 - March 25, 1994.

“American Folk Art: Collection from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Mona Bismarck Foundation, Paris, France, January 25, 2001 – March 24, 2001.

“Through the Eyes of Others: African Americans and Identity in American Art”, New York State Museum, Albany, NY, August 28, 2009 – January 14, 2010; Fenimore House Museum, Cooperstown, NY, August 23, 2008 – December 31, 2008.

“Art of the Everyman: American Folk Art from the Fenimore Art Museum,” Florence Griswold Museum, Old Lyme, CT, May 28, 2014 – September 29, 2014.

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