Description: Chinese Trousse Set (Eating Set): Bamboo container, coated with shark-skin, most likely Hippo ivory, chopsticks, toothpick and eating knife with ivory handle, 1800s.


History: As the country of origin of chopsticks, China was the first country in the world to use chopsticks (and forks) and has a history of at least 5,000 years of using eating utensils. Chopsticks play an important role in Chinese food culture. Chopsticks are called Kuai zi in Chinese and were called Zhu in ancient times. Chopsticks seem quite simple with only two small and thin sticks, but they are in possession of many functions, such as picking, moving, nipping, mixing and digging. Anyone using chopsticks would without exception admire the inventor of chopsticks although westerners might wonder if he was only trying to torment them. No one knows how they originated, but there is a myth that about 3000 BC two poor Chinese farmers stole a chicken from a storehouse. They hid out in a forest and cooked it over an open fire. They were so hungry that they could not wait for the meat to cool and pulled off the done portions with a pair of sticks so that they would not be burned. From their humble beginning as twigs or small branches, Chinese chopsticks (kuai zi) evolved into the modern square cross section with blunt ends and tapered length.

Provenance: FL Estate


Dimensions: Weight (Pounds & Ounces) = 0.2 | Height(in) = 5 | Width(in) = 17.5 | Depth(in) = 17.5

Size of Artwork(in): 13.5 x .75"


Artist Name: Chinese


Medium: Ivory, bamboo, sharkskin, brass.


Circa: Circa 1890

Good condition. The eating knife is a replacement.