Fork (one of a set)

Antonio Gentili (Antonio da Faenza)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Designed to sit comfortably in the hand, the handles consist of ornamented bases supporting half figures of satyrs. Crisp details, such as the snakes that frame the spoon’s shell-shaped bowl, contribute to the utensils’ sculptural quality. The set’s precious material and sophisticated decoration indicate that it was made for an affluent household. (See also companion fork and spoon, 47.52.2 and .3.)

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The fifty thousand objects in the Museum's comprehensive and historically important collection of European sculpture and decorative arts reflect the development of a number of art forms in Western European countries from the early fifteenth through the early twentieth century. The holdings include sculpture in many sizes and media, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, metalwork and jewelry, horological and mathematical instruments, and tapestries and textiles. Ceramics made in Asia for export to European markets and sculpture and decorative arts produced in Latin America during this period are also included among these works.

Metropolitan Museum of Art