Photo Kramer Knives
America’s foremost knifesmith Bob Kramer has a beautiful one-of-a-kind hand-forged chef’s knife inspired by Dutch graphic artist MC Escher for sale, and it will only set you back $50,000.
Called The Pegasus, it is inspired by Escher’s work of the same name, and bears the winged-horse motif that appeared in his Regular Division of the Plane drawings, where the shape of the Pegasus is repeated in negative space.
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Kramer Knives are, without doubt, America’s most highly-regarded and most coveted chef’s knives, with a years-long waiting list just to be considered for a bespoke blade.
Anthony Bourdain famously visited Bob Kramer’s forge in order to recode the making of his own knife, which he bought for $5,000. The chef and documentarian’s reverence for Kramer’s craft was evident, as was his excitement at getting to own such a piece of artisanal excellence.
Bourdain’s Kramer knife was sold at auction last year for $231,250 as one of the lots of the late chef’s personal effects.
On the Pegasus blade, available to buy on Kramer’s website, the connection between the exacting perfectionism of the knifesmith and the graphic artist is made.
“We have pushed the boundaries of traditional bladesmithing to bring you our interpretation of a tessellation in steel while demonstrating the limits of forge welding to date. Escher’s mathematical inspired style has always captured our attention here at Kramer Knives. Our first all-metal knife was inspired by the Pegasus tessellation and was intricately engraved by Mastersmith Tom Ferry. The blade is made from high nickel and shop-made Damascus, hardened to 62 HRC. To complete the look, this knife comes with a museum quality display stand made from ebony.”
MC Escher spent a lifetime pursuing excellence in his art. Aware of his own exceptional abilities, he worked relentlessly, in order to accomplish the graphic work that no one else could. It is a dedication to craft and peerless achievement certainly reflected in the work of Bob Kramer. The knife is a work of art.
