Barry Lee Hands engraved SR Johnson Dirk

"La daga de oro de Princesa Dulcinea"

A dream in gold and pearl, This is a one of a kind tribute to the legendary object of Don Quixote's love, The Princess Dulcinea.
A 5" Loveless-style Boot Dirk with T-416 bolsters, Mother-of-pearl handles CPM 154-CM blade stock, and a T-416 SS bail, this piece is the second collaboration from Steve Johnson and Barry Lee Hands featuring Barry's new " Gilded Pearl " technique in 24k gold.

Just georgous! That Gold inlay in pearl is Sweet!

That's really cool, Barry.
Classy, and elegant.........you done good!

"She is Tom Sawyer's Becky Thatcher. She is The Little Red-Haired Girl of Charlie Brown. She is the sacred muse of Alonso Quixano who in 1605 stepped into some rusty armor to become the immortal Don Quixote de la Mancha. In Cervantes' book we never meet Dulcinea. She exists only in Alonso's mind.

Believing himself to be a knight and a peasant girl of his village to be the magnificent Princess Dulcinea, every deed, every journey and every quest is made in her name. But the girl, Aldonza Lorenzo by name, is utterly unaware of these events as Don Quixote never speaks to her and loves her only from afar. But his 'Lady Dulcinea' plays a vital role in Alonso's life and her presence is felt throughout the book.

Outwardly we laugh at the absurdity of a man jousting with windmills, thinking them to be giants. But inwardly we crave his sense of mission and purpose, his dedication to a cause, his willingness to pay any price to achieve the honor of his beloved.

So who is the silly one? He, for seeing beyond what is, to serve a beauty that could be, should be, ought to be? Or me, for remaining trapped in a black and white world where little men hide behind technicalities?

The most celebrated writer in Spanish literature, Miguel de Cervantes laid down his pen on April 23, 1616, and quietly passed away simultaneously with William Shakespeare, the most celebrated writer in English literature. In a single sunset, these two great voices were silenced."

Barry, you and your colleague, Mr Johnson, have created something here that would be treasured in any historical era, and we are glad it happened in this one!

best

Rod

Fabulous!

As before, this is a totally new and distinctive style that sets a new artictic standard!

Mike Dubber

Barry,Congratulations to the three of you involved in this masterpiece.
I made my comment over on the knife forum where I first saw it.

Barry,

Love your signature. very clever.

This is absolutely stellar work of the highest magnitude, my friend. Makes me want to get back to work instead of all this airgun stuff. I saw your hammer head first hand last week at John Rohner's. The photos you posted of it did not do it justice, I am sure the same is the case here.

Hands Johnson Knife

Barry, I believe that is the most exquisite job of enhancing a basic knife design that I have ever seen.

Magnificent work and beautifully executed Barry!!!

Inlaying the gold into the shell I should imagine is heart stopping and breath holding work!!!

Cheers
Andrew

Really nice Barry! Any chance you will have one or both of them in Reno?

It's projects like this that make people go to Reno. I just want to hold it, feel its weight and bounce some light off it so I will know that this is real. Thank you Barry for sharing.

Barry, the knife is magnificent! Thanks for sharing. Rod, you could be a writer, as that was a very good essay. Seth

Man thats pretty stuff and amazing work!!
Steve

Friend Barry:

Your work is beautiful and you have a very good technique of engraving. Watch your style of engraving is a feast for the eyes.

Antonio

Magnificent!!! Barry you have raised the bar mighty high...
Jerry

Beautiful!!!!

Thanks Jerry, Myrh and Isaac.

BrianPowley said:

That's really cool, Barry.
Classy, and elegant.........you done good!

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Thanks Brian, my ole benchmate. . .

And John B, thank you sir.
And Bailey and Scott P, thank you. I am sure you had something to do with the hammer head in one way or another.
Knobs and Andrew thanks, the shell is tough, the gilded pearl is the most difficult tech I have, the only thing in engraving for me that still steams the scope.
Really the one to blame is Steve Lindsay, he led me to try it in the first place with his constantly pushing me to reach further, and engrave the pearl.
Ron and Spank, thanks, I may or may not have it in Reno, but if not, I will try to have something similar for you to check out.
Seth and Steve . . . thanks.
Antonio, I enjoy your work.

rod said:

"She is Tom Sawyer's Becky Thatcher. She is The Little Red-Haired Girl of Charlie Brown. She is the sacred muse of Alonso Quixano who in 1605 stepped into some rusty armor to become the immortal Don Quixote de la Mancha. In Cervantes' book we never meet Dulcinea. She exists only in Alonso's mind.

Believing himself to be a knight and a peasant girl of his village to be the magnificent Princess Dulcinea, every deed, every journey and every quest is made in her name. But the girl, Aldonza Lorenzo by name, is utterly unaware of these events as Don Quixote never speaks to her and loves her only from afar. But his 'Lady Dulcinea' plays a vital role in Alonso's life and her presence is felt throughout the book.

Outwardly we laugh at the absurdity of a man jousting with windmills, thinking them to be giants. But inwardly we crave his sense of mission and purpose, his dedication to a cause, his willingness to pay any price to achieve the honor of his beloved.

So who is the silly one? He, for seeing beyond what is, to serve a beauty that could be, should be, ought to be? Or me, for remaining trapped in a black and white world where little men hide behind technicalities?

The most celebrated writer in Spanish literature, Miguel de Cervantes laid down his pen on April 23, 1616, and quietly passed away simultaneously with William Shakespeare, the most celebrated writer in English literature. In a single sunset, these two great voices were silenced."

Barry, you and your colleague, Mr Johnson, have created something here that would be treasured in any historical era, and we are glad it happened in this one!

best

Rod

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Rod, what can I say your words are well written as befits a well read well traveled and well spoken man of the world such as yourself.
Next time I will have you write the catalog description.

And thanks to Mr SR Johnson who asked me to engrave this wonderful knife he created. I suggested the bail which caused quite a few emails back and forth working that out, he truly is a leader in his field.

MikieDu said:

As before, this is a totally new and distinctive style that sets a new artistic standard!

Mike Dubber

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Thanks Mike you have been a big influence on my way of doing things with your honorable approach to your work.

I did this one at the same time as a Steve Hoel folder, both for the AKI show in San Diego
They were almost a pair stylistically as I started the Hoel, did the first side to get the catalog pic, set it aside to do the SRJ, and then when the SRJ was done and finished went back to the Hoel. Very nearly four months between the two of them.
Someone commented that it appeared to have a Japanese influence and I can see the Japanese influence myself,( Harumi Hirayama and her mixed pearls and metals comes to mind) although the technique is my own as stated before,.
I call it the “Gilded Pearl” technique.
A few years ago when I was with Ken Hunt in his London studio he was giving me a few hints about the damascene technique (Ken likes to keep you guessing the first go round).
The best hint he gave me was this:
“If you really want to learn the damascene, go to Japan, they are the best “
Around this time Steve Lindsay was still urging me to engrave on pearl, but I wanted to take it further and couldn't imagine quite how.
I went to Kyoto and spent a short time studying the technique of damascene and was undoubtedly influenced stylistically to some degree.While I was there, I had an epiphany in a japanese garden and concieved the idea of the gilded pearl.
The style I am consciously following with “Dulcinea”is the old Arabesque, but this I call “Neo Arabesque” and if you are at the Guild show in Reno next year you may allow me to entertain you with my seminar on the subject:
“ The threee segment leaf; A study of Arabesque through four thousand years of ornament’”
If you can stay awake through the entire seminar you will have some idea of where my influences are from, and how I came to this.

Barry, I hope there will be a video of your seminar for those of us that will be unable to attend. As for falling asleep through it, I sincerely doubt that could happen.
One only has to see photos of your work to realize it is done by a true master of the art, and I can only imagine the thrill it would be to see it in person.
You are truly an innovative and talented artist that energetically pushes his skills to the limit.
Thank you so much for sharing your work with us.
gailm

Friend Barry:

I very much like the eastern influence to make this kind of work on the pearl. You know very well capture the essence of Japan.
In Spain and specifically in the city of Toledo is authentic damascene style, personally I think is one of the best in the world.

I have in mind, do some tests engravings in the pearl and embedding gold. Each engraver has a personal style.


Thank you for showing your beautiful work


Antonio