Arpad
Bojtos is
some
what of a throwback to the
Middle Ages in
that his focus, tools,
techniques and Renaissance eye seem more in step
with 16th-century Europe rather
than the 21st-century version. He’s a full-time maker who produces very
few knives a year, mostly via commission by sophisticated collectors who have
an appreciation for spectacular edged artwork. He depicts Greek
and Roman mythology, African
game, Native Americans,
Incan lore, unicorn mythology and many exotic wild
animals in his works.
In a word, he reproduces the classics. He accomplishes his work mostly by hand,
carving and sculpting steel and natural elements into his knives, both folders and
fixed blades and the sheaths that accompany the latter. Some of his sheaths incorporate
as many as 10 elements of natural and rare materials. He also does gold
inlay and tans exotic animal skins for use on his sheaths.
As you can see by the pictures herein,
his work is singular. No one in the world of knives is doing such highly sophisticated work.
Arpad (pronounced
are-pod) spends almost as much time researching a
subject
as he does making the knife.
Being a serious collector, I was most stimulated by his work when I
first saw it because it’s unlike any other
I’ve ever seen.
For example, the authenticity of the
ancient symbols of the Native Americans of the Pacific Northwest that he
incorporates into his work is impeccable.
He seems to derive great pleasure from
the internal adventure of developing a
design and sharing it with the appreciative
collector.
Bojtos (pronounced Boy-tos) lives in a 150-year-old house that he
converted from a Hungarian army officer’s quarters into a
comfortable home for his wife, Danka, and
daughter Zuzana. However, living in
Slovakia limits Arpad’s knife making
options because the electric current supplied
to the homes of the general populace there
isn’t strong enough to drive most power
tools. He uses hand tools exclusively for
stock reduction and carving—a very slow
and exacting process. His deep has reliefs of rare animals in ivory and steel
are unsurpassed.
If you visit various museums
in
Europe and the USA specializing in 15th-to-l8th century weapons, you will see
workmanship no better than Arpad’s crafted
for the kings and royalty of the day.
My background is in the antique business. Over the years, i’ve found
it interesting to study what makes antiques classic
and how they continue to appreciate both in
value and authenticity. New design elements
continually expose themselves over time as
one lives with a true treasure. Those
elements are precisely the ones Bojtos
incorporates into his work: high quality of
material and workmanship, and a singularity of creative design that grows in
depth the
more one studies the piece.
It was well summed up by one of America's top high-end makers that if he were
a
collector, his first knife would be one made
by Arpad.
For more information, please visit: www.guildknives.com
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