sheathmaker
Custom Leather Sheaths
- Joined
- May 18, 2005
- Messages
- 4,646
This knife is owned by a client of mine and it is not for sale, but he and I would appreciate some opinions as to its worth........more curiosity than anything else although it would be handy for insurance evaluation.
The following was written by the now owner and is all the information I have at this time.
"This is the knife whose mystery led to both considerable bewilderments, and
no small amount of pleasurable detective work. A big part of my enthusiasm
for this piece comes from learning of Holifield's patronage of various
makers in this period, and how it helped the market open up to styles &
techniques other than the traditional. The significance of this knife,
beyond whatever esthetic appeal it may hold, is the role it, and many other
knives from the 70s, played in the emergence of the knife as an art form.
Today, no one apologizes for a knife that while sturdy & functional, doesn't
necessarily look like it was designed for any particular task; it's
appreciated more for the craftsmanship & artistry that goes into it, and
often paid dearly for.
Through Jim Keating, I was able to reach Bill Bagwell at his home in rural
East Texas, and he shared the following information regarding this Bowie.
Bagwell conceived and commissioned the embellishment described below, to a
Bowie he made for the collector Jack Holifield in the mid
nineteen-seventies. Hand forged by Bill, it was then outfitted with a
scrimshawed elephant ivory handle, the sterling silver guard was fully
engraved, as was the spine, and Alamo/James Bowie themed etching was applied
to the blade.
Bill Bagwell, briefly the 1st secretary of the American Bladesmith Society,
was living in Louisiana at that time, and now resides in East Texas, where
he still makes knives. He studied the Bowie's potential as a weapon and
became an acknowledged authority & author on Bowie knife fighting, and the
dynamics of how its construction determines it effectiveness. He was able to
tell me who did the engraving & scrimshaw {his friend, E.C. Prudhomme,
Shreveport, La., 1911-1990}, the acid etch on the blade {ECPs' assistant
Wilton English}, the jeweler that inlaid the Burmese rubies, {Leonard
Jewelers, Shreveport, LA}. There are perhaps more details in the link below,
but basically, Holifield approached knife makers in the mid-70s, with the
"challenge" that they conceive & execute the most elaborate knife they could
imagine, and he would buy it. {I've found no record of how many were
approached, or submitted such a knife}. This knife was Bagwell's effort, and
until we spoke this summer, he had never known what became of it. {I'm
reminded as I re-read this that I didn't think to ask what steel the knife
was forged from; I need to remedy that}. I'll add that Bagwell told me it
was one of only a couple of his knives that carried that "Vivian, La."
stamp, and also one of only perhaps two where he employed that elegant
"twisted" {actually carved} ricasso, as it was difficult to accomplish, and
nobody at the time seemed fond of it! Also, everyone who has handled this
knife has enthusiastically agreed that besides it's elaborate appearance, it
possesses a heft, balance, and presence as a weapon that is sobering.
Here also is a brief Prudhomme bio.
A world renowned Master Engraver and author of "The Gun Engraving
Review", the definitive book on the craft at that time, E.C., "Jack"
Prudhommes gun engravings are part of the permanent collection at the R.W.
Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport, La., and his book is on display at the
Smithsonian.
Having been an accomplished athlete in school, he first became a world
ranked professional wrestler, then established himself as an engraver in the
1940s. The Norton exhibit of his work opened in 1973, and I find it
significant that it's still on display over 40 years later. I find no
evidence that he is known for scrimshaw work, but he performed and signed
the work on the ivory of this Bagwell knife, apparently just because they
were friends."
The following was written by the now owner and is all the information I have at this time.
"This is the knife whose mystery led to both considerable bewilderments, and
no small amount of pleasurable detective work. A big part of my enthusiasm
for this piece comes from learning of Holifield's patronage of various
makers in this period, and how it helped the market open up to styles &
techniques other than the traditional. The significance of this knife,
beyond whatever esthetic appeal it may hold, is the role it, and many other
knives from the 70s, played in the emergence of the knife as an art form.
Today, no one apologizes for a knife that while sturdy & functional, doesn't
necessarily look like it was designed for any particular task; it's
appreciated more for the craftsmanship & artistry that goes into it, and
often paid dearly for.
Through Jim Keating, I was able to reach Bill Bagwell at his home in rural
East Texas, and he shared the following information regarding this Bowie.
Bagwell conceived and commissioned the embellishment described below, to a
Bowie he made for the collector Jack Holifield in the mid
nineteen-seventies. Hand forged by Bill, it was then outfitted with a
scrimshawed elephant ivory handle, the sterling silver guard was fully
engraved, as was the spine, and Alamo/James Bowie themed etching was applied
to the blade.
Bill Bagwell, briefly the 1st secretary of the American Bladesmith Society,
was living in Louisiana at that time, and now resides in East Texas, where
he still makes knives. He studied the Bowie's potential as a weapon and
became an acknowledged authority & author on Bowie knife fighting, and the
dynamics of how its construction determines it effectiveness. He was able to
tell me who did the engraving & scrimshaw {his friend, E.C. Prudhomme,
Shreveport, La., 1911-1990}, the acid etch on the blade {ECPs' assistant
Wilton English}, the jeweler that inlaid the Burmese rubies, {Leonard
Jewelers, Shreveport, LA}. There are perhaps more details in the link below,
but basically, Holifield approached knife makers in the mid-70s, with the
"challenge" that they conceive & execute the most elaborate knife they could
imagine, and he would buy it. {I've found no record of how many were
approached, or submitted such a knife}. This knife was Bagwell's effort, and
until we spoke this summer, he had never known what became of it. {I'm
reminded as I re-read this that I didn't think to ask what steel the knife
was forged from; I need to remedy that}. I'll add that Bagwell told me it
was one of only a couple of his knives that carried that "Vivian, La."
stamp, and also one of only perhaps two where he employed that elegant
"twisted" {actually carved} ricasso, as it was difficult to accomplish, and
nobody at the time seemed fond of it! Also, everyone who has handled this
knife has enthusiastically agreed that besides it's elaborate appearance, it
possesses a heft, balance, and presence as a weapon that is sobering.
Here also is a brief Prudhomme bio.
A world renowned Master Engraver and author of "The Gun Engraving
Review", the definitive book on the craft at that time, E.C., "Jack"
Prudhommes gun engravings are part of the permanent collection at the R.W.
Norton Art Gallery in Shreveport, La., and his book is on display at the
Smithsonian.
Having been an accomplished athlete in school, he first became a world
ranked professional wrestler, then established himself as an engraver in the
1940s. The Norton exhibit of his work opened in 1973, and I find it
significant that it's still on display over 40 years later. I find no
evidence that he is known for scrimshaw work, but he performed and signed
the work on the ivory of this Bagwell knife, apparently just because they
were friends."
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