Gus,
Thank you for your comments and the picture! However, the knife and the images to which I was referring were in
The Canadian Journal of Arms Collecting (CJAC), Vol. 11, No. 3 and Vol. 20, No. 1:
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These are obviously the same knives as in the image you posted, but different pictures with slightly different captions. This is from
CJAC Vol. 11-3:
View attachment 310654
... while this one is from
CJAC Vol. 20-1:
View attachment 310655
Both were from articles by James Forman, who I assume also wrote the book that contained the image in your post. This is the first page of the article in
CJAC 11-3:
View attachment 310656
The author's thesis in that article was that the gralloch knife was an evolutionary step as well as an intermediate size between the dirk (a fighting knife) and the
sgian dubh, which he considered primarily decorative. His contention was that after the Scots were defeated at Culloden, the British Crown attempted to erase their culture, and dirks were evidently outlawed. However, hunting traditions continued, and the gralloching knife in the form he presented developed as both a practical and traditionally-styled tool.
I would like to suggest, though, that the blade on the larger antler-hafted gralloch knife in those images appears to have had a medieval
seax in its ancestry.
Mr. Forman's article in
CJAC 20-1 was entitled "The Evolution of the
Sgian Dubh." The same author penned articles about the "Scottish Regimental Dirk" in
CJAC Vol. 25-1 and 25-2, but I don't have those issues and can't comment on the articles.
As always, I appreciate your insight and contributions to the discussion.
Notchy Bob