Gino Moledda: the creativity of the master cutler

There are many historical phases that marked the birth and development of the Sardinian knife. Cutting tools have ancient origins in Sardinia.
However, it is only after the fifties of the last century that the Sardinian knife has had an important development. Its rediscovery and the appreciation for manual techniques and traditional processing have launched the process of transformation of the request.


From object for everyday use, the knife has gained more and more the characteristics of an artistic object. This change has not only raised the knife to an artistic element, now burst into the Sardinian tradition, but has also preserved the job of cutlery by the disappearance.


Steel blade and horn handle, especially sheep and mouflon. Today the knives handicraft has reached a very high level of aesthetic forms of expression.


There are many centers of Sardinia, where the culture of sa resolza or arresoja is the most developed, although there are two places where the typical Sardinian jackknife are more extensively developed. The main and most famous centers of production of the knife in Sardinia are Pattada (SS) and Arbus (VS).


In Pattada originated the famous pattadesa, slender blade jackknife, and Arbus is the birthplace arburesa, which, however, has a wide leaf-shaped blade and a narrow tang.

In these countries have come to life the two most famous and popular types of knives, not only in the Island, but also outside the borders of Sardinia.
Other centers where the art of knife is flourishing are Desulo, Dorgali, Gavoi and Guspini.


Their transition from everyday items to collectibles, allowed the knife craftsmen to give free rein to creativity and to generate objects stylistically extraordinary.
One of the most original artists from this point of view is the cutler Gino Moledda, Nuoro, who learned the ancient craft by his father.


The craftsman from Nuoro makes his works following the tradition with some tricks and variants that meet the tastes and needs of the customer.
In addition to classic traditional knives, Gino Moledda has created a very nice and interesting collection, where sparkle the special wheels for the processing of the fresh pasta and mezzalunas to finely mince the vegetables.


They are mainly wheels, of various shapes and sizes, traditionally used to cut and finish the pasta and sweets as culurgiones and sebadas, the most original element and the pride of the entire production of the artisan from Nuoro.


Each kind of pastry or pasta has a defined instrument, made by hand with refinement, great skill and mastery. Pastry wheels and mezzalunas are two outstanding examples of creativity. Aesthetically very valuable but also very practical and functional.


Fine materials, passion, professionality and an additional focus on the aesthetic part. These are the main ingredients through which the craftsman forges his works.

To the valuable aesthetic side the artisan from Nuoro provides, as said, a product highly efficient and functional. The blades are exclusively made of stainless steel, antioxidants, and for the handles are used the deer and ram horn, left rough, but duly polished.


Today, Sardinian knife production draws from the tradition but also points strongly in the direction of innovation, originality. The harmony of shapes and the right proportion of the various elements that make up the knife, are other factors in addition to the various aspects that characterize this art, making it unique and fascinating.


The master knife-makers and their creations are the perfect example of how the peasant culture, represented in this case by a typical and indispensable everyday object, with a intimate and powerful symbolic value, it was once a more evocative element fundamental to the brilliant development style of one of the better expressions of Sardinian craft.