SERVING KNIFE WITH SPHINX ATTACHMENT Italian, 16th century. Flat, canted ivory handle, the end of the handle with a sculpted sphinx with a female bust. The blade chape engraved with leaf decoration and gilt. The base of the steel spatula blade engraved and partially gilt with a decorative point. L 33.3 cm. Stress cracks on the hind leg of the sphinx. Tail missing. Blade with traces of corrosion. The handle of a knife from the Louvre collections can be compared with our knife. It shows the same structure of a massive rectangular ivory handle. The knife in the Louvre features a fully carved dragon devouring a child (inv. no. OA 170). An Italian gravoir from the 14th century (?) from the Berlin Museum of Decorative Arts has a similar ivory top figure consisting of a male bust (inv. no. 1889,284). This object has a trade licence for the EU. Due to the use of protected materials, this object may not leave the EU.