Pastry Knife

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: Robert Griffith
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: steel
Mediums Description: forge-welded and acid-etched Damascus steel
Classifications: Decorative Arts
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.