OF ALBACETE AND KNIVES
Worked scissors of Albacete are known year 400 to of
C., are conserved in the Provincial Museum of Albacete. These primitive
scissors were found in a tomb of an Iberian city, later denominated
"El Tesorico", a small town next to the river World.
This scissors is one of
the most old scissors of Albacete.
These scissors of Albacete are as handles and their
normal position are to have the separated blades, this type of scissors
are known in Spain like pressure scissors. The cut is obtained when
pressing them and soon they return to its starting point thanks to the
pressure obtained in the means of the zone of union of the blades, where
probably is a wharf of a single turn. But due to the corrosion that these
scissors suffered, by the passage of time, that type of means is not
These "first" known scissors as albacetenses are a unique model
until that date, and seem to show to us to the great ability and technical
outpost of the old blacksmiths of Albacete.
We put ourselves to speak of the scissors worked in Albacete that are even
conserved and of their peculiarities. The first scissors worked in
Albacete that are conserved were made during century XV, their inscription
was based simply on the year of accomplishment. Later, in century XVI,
short legend was recorded, normally enrolled in Latin, but not yet the
place of its elaboration was indicated that begins to add as of century
Classic scissor made by
It is possible to be considered that centuries XVII
and XVIII are the "Centuries of Gold" of the scissors with
legend. Falling in declivity at the end of the century XVIII
simultaneously that took place the decay of the art of the cutlery in
Spain, that discouraged to the artists cutlers, causing the closing of its
factories. The most important reasons for that decay were; the restrictive
laws and the imports of the foreigner.
During centuries XVII and XVIII, the legend was recorded in diverse types
of scissors; of seam, of medical use, domestic use and, most important and
In the seam scissors of Albacete, of about 11 cm., the name of the user
was recorded, with the Dª ahead, only in some marked to the locality
Scissor made artesan in
The scissors craftswomen of medical use of Albacete,
also of about 11 cm., were marked with the name of the proprietor and the
place where they were worked. In constructed surgical instruments in Spain,
during centuries XVII and XVIII, the names of the craftsmen of the
scissors were marked, the year and place of their construction, but never
it appeared Albacete.
The scissors of domestic use of Albacete, with their 22 to 53 cm., were
used to cut paper, most spectacular and are used, for that reason they
kept with affection and now we can admire them.
Old scissor made artesan
in Spain by the old prestigious artesan.
All the scissors worked in Albacete totally are
elaborated in iron. The interior of its blades is flat (and non concave
like the Eastern scissors), its ring are closed and its light wood cases,
covered of skin with adornments, engravings or painted.
In order to describe a little more in detail the scissors of Albacete we
will begin speaking of its blades that usually are stabbed, narrow and
with three longitudinal planes.
Special scissor for its
The size of his escudete this fact so that its plane
with the one of the intermediate plateau of the blades, united by pin
agrees that was spent and broken with the use.
The arms of the scissors usually are formed by a pair of balustered
and strong columns. One of the greater characteristics of the scissors of
Albacete is average moors moons, of Islamic tradition, located in the
union of the arms and escudete.
The main characteristics of the ring (or they are made oval or circular,
strong and without lateral incisions) are their adornments that go from
"triggers" (of the French scissors, century XVII) to
"peinetas" (century XVIII), formed by one, two or three rows of
average moons and finished with an adornment in form of "almond".
There were variants for this last detail of the scissors of Albacete,
proposed by diverse of the cutlers who worked them, the proposals were to
change that form of almond, by crossings of Santiago, Caravaca or Latin,
or many hearts, that surely were gifts between boyfriends.
Scissors with engraved on
The scissors of Albacete are covered, almost in their
totality, by the engravings, that begin in escudete, happening through the
blades and being able to finish in the zone of underneath where it began.
They are written with capital letters, many errors, using the
abbreviations. The legend this distributed, in most of the cases, a side
of the scissors the name of the craftsman cutler, the place (Albazete,
with "z") and the year; in the other side, the name of the
proprietor is recorded or in his defect a phrase, an ejaculation or an
appointment. Using, as well, series of longitudinal borders, recorded,
normally, in both sides of the blades and escudete, their drawings are
waved lines, ears, small branches, commas, points, etc. The greatest plane
of the blades enjoys a floral decoration developed in line waved covering
almost its totality, straining itself between her, the drawing of up to
three birds (characteristic of the scissors worked in Albacete). The
wrought scissors more carefully can have recorded a border inside the zone
of their blades.
Special scissor for the
form of its handle.