Pastry Knife

Robert Griffith, Pastry Knife, ca. 1975, forge-welded and acid-etched Damascus steel, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.152
Copied Robert Griffith, Pastry Knife, ca. 1975, forge-welded and acid-etched Damascus steel, 5 1⁄4 x 2 1⁄8 in. (13.5 x 5.3 cm) diam., Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1975.152

Artwork Details

Title
Pastry Knife
Artist
Date
ca. 1975
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
5 1⁄4 x 2 1⁄8 in. (13.5 x 5.3 cm) diam.
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums
Mediums Description
forge-welded and acid-etched Damascus steel
Classifications
Object Number
1975.152
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1975.152

Artwork Description

Here, Robert Griffith applies Damascus steel, a material traditionally used for razor-sharp weaponry, to a pastry tool. He made the knife as a graduate student when he was only twenty-four years old. It is a functional tool: the jagged wheel is for cutting strips of dough and the hook is for trimming excess from around the edges of a pie. The swirling pattern seen here is the result of an acid bath, which eats away at the steel layers, leaving the iron intact.