Laguiole (knife)

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Traditional French Laguiole knife, handcrafted and forged, here with handle scales made of juniper, with a classic total length of 23 cm (12 cm handle, 11 cm blade), the typical bow tie on the back, the 12C27 steel blade, two stapling jaws made of steel and the shepherd's cross
Traditional French Laguiole knife, with olive handles.
Laguiole knife with corkscrew and the typical bow tie

The Laguiole is a traditional French pocket knife made of steel and wooden applications. It is used by various companies and a. Made in Laguiole itself (south of France) and in Thiers ( Auvergne , central France). The design was developed by Pierre-Jean Calmels in the 19th century .

The name Laguiole alone cannot be protected; it is subject to the public domain . There are numerous imitation products that bear the name Laguiole , but some of them are made in China or Pakistan .

history

The main influence on the shape of the classic Laguiole is most likely the Arab-Spanish clasp knife from Andalusia, the Navaja. It was first designed by Pierre-Jean Calmels in 1829. The earliest forms of the Laguiole knife had rigid blades, the so-called Laguiole droit ; the classic navaja-like Laguiole seems to have originated around 1860.

Calmels' Laguiole droit had a "half-lock" on the blade where a small protrusion on the end of the return spring (mouche) exerts pressure on a corresponding indentation in the heel of the blade when the knife is open; this, rather than the Navaja's complete locking system, remained an integral part of subsequent Laguiole knives.

Seasonal migrations of shepherds and cattle herders in summer and winter led many men from Aubrac to Catalan Spain, from where they brought the Navaja to France.

The Arabo-Hispanic design of the Navaja was merged with that of the local knives (Laguiole droit and Capuchadou). The result was the classic Laguiole.

In 1840, the first awl or trocar (a surgical instrument used to puncture body cavities and alleviate the suffering of cattle and other animals with gas) was added to some Laguiole knife patterns.

From 1880, some models of the Laguiole were equipped with a corkscrew, as many migrant workers from the Aubrac waited in Parisian restaurants.

Characteristics

Blade , handle , department ( feather in the back of the knife), bee etc. are processed slightly differently from blacksmith to blacksmith. As a result, the knives differ slightly in shape and feel . There are also numerous small blacksmiths, often one-man businesses.

The bee / fly ( mouche ) on the back of the knife ( ressort = 'feather') is a trademark , but traditionally it is not the only motif, there are also those with bulls' heads or scallops etc. It does not serve to lock the blade, but only for ornament. Other typical features are the individual decoration of the spring back and the blade with ground notches and a cross formed by nails that are hammered into the handle around the middle rivet . It is said that shepherds would have stuck knives into the earth at night to pray in front of the cross.

Laguiole carving set

A Laguiole should not be snapped shut, as the blade then hits the inside of the spring, but should close slowly (French: "Ressort silencieux vivra vieux", i.e. "Quiet spring will live a long time").

The material used for the blades is mainly Swedish steel from Sandvik with the designation 12C27 , but also damascus steel and carbon steel . The blades are available in a polished or satin finish.

Laguiole knives are very popular collector's items because they come in many different designs. A wide variety of handle shell fittings, such as precious woods , horn , ivory or other - sometimes very expensive - materials are used.

In addition, cutlery with knives, forks, spoons and teaspoons in the typical Laguiole design with the bee are also offered. Salad servers, larger knives and cheese sets complete the range.

Manufacturer

There are currently around 130 Laguiole blacksmiths in France, there are four renowned manufacturers that are of roughly the same quality:

  • Laguiole en Aubrac
  • Forge de Laguiole
  • Fontenille Pataud
  • La Coutellerie de Laguiole Honoré Durand

While Laguiole en Aubrac, Fontenille Pataud and Honoré Durand focus on the traditional production of classic Laguiole models, Forge de Laguiole, founded in 1987, is more design-oriented. Forge de Laguiole and Honoré Durand are blacksmiths who still manufacture directly in Laguiole.

meaning

The Laguiole is a knife that was developed over a very long period of time in its culture (central France) and has been optimized for the requirements of the user. It is an archetype like the Opinel , the Japanese Higonokami and the Sami knife etc.

See also

literature

  • Luc Boltanski , Arnaud Esquerre: Enrichment. A criticism of the goods. Translator Christine Pries. Suhrkamp Verlag , Berlin 2018 (Enrichissement). Cape. 12: The economy of enrichment in practice. Laguiole im Aubrac , pp. 519-564

Web links

Commons : Laguiole (knife)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Collections - Special Flies. "ZHeichen is mouche = fly". In: laguiole-en-aubrac.fr. Retrieved July 18, 2020 (French).
  2. ↑ The bitter dispute over the Laguiole blade . welt.de. October 14, 2013. Retrieved October 14, 2013.
  3. ^ Flock, Jean-Marie, Van Osselaer, Pierre, and McHoul, Alec, Visual Identities, New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0-8264-4739-2 (2005), p. 151
  4. ↑ Lecoutre, Fabien, Rubat, Baptiste, Engelen, Barth, and Engelen, Cécile, Le Petit Futé La France à moto !, Paris, FR: Les Nouvelles Editions l'Université (2008), p. 540
  5. ↑ Pacella, Gérard, Couteaux de nos terroirs, Paris: Editions de Borée - Terres Blues, ISBN 2-84494-858-8 (2005), p. 17th
  6. ↑ Pierre Pelou, L'arbre et le paysage: L'itinéraire d'un postier Rouergat (1907-1981), Editions L'Harmattan, 2011, p. 76
  7. ↑ The forge Laguiole en Aubrac. Retrieved February 13, 2020 .