At the time of purchase, its blade and handle were separated, as the seller did not realise that they fitted together.G. Bénédite: Le couteau de Gebel el-'Arak, Étude sur un nouvelle objet préhistorique acquis par le musée du Louvre, Fondation Eugène Piot, Monuments et mémoires, XXII, 1916 p. 1–34 Boreux later proposed that the knife be restored, and that the blade and handle be joined together. This was done in March 1933 by Léon André, who worked mainly on consolidating the ensemble, and conserving the ivory handle.Archives de la Direction des Musées de France, AE 16, devis du 31 mars 1933 The most recent restoration of the knife was undertaken in 1997 by Agnès Cascio and Juliette Lévy.
