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Drawing (design for fork and spoon)

Antonio Gentili (Antonio da Faenza)|Stefano della Bella

1580

ink

paper

From the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art

Renaissance Renaissance

Dominant colour

Drawing (design for fork and spoon) is a 1580 ink by Antonio Gentili (Antonio da Faenza)|Stefano della Bella, a Renaissance work, held at Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Antonio Gentili (Antonio da Faenza)|Stefano della Bella
When & what style?: 1580 · Renaissance
Where can I see it?: Metropolitan Museum of Art

About this work

This sketch shows two odd, fancy utensils—a fork and spoon with a long, curved handle. At the end of the handle, there’s a tiny figure of a woman holding a string, almost like a decoration. The lines are simple but precise, with some shading to show depth. The fork and spoon look more like art than tools, with swirls and curls along the handle. The woman at the top seems to be part of the design, not just a random addition. This kind of playful detail was sometimes used to make everyday objects feel special. Want to see more designs like this? Check out The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

About the artist

Artist

Antonio Gentili (Antonio da Faenza)|Stefano della Bella

Antonio Gentili made designs for everyday objects in the late 1500s. In *Drawing (design for fork and spoon)*, he sketched precise, delicate shapes in ink on paper. These were likely meant for goldsmiths or silversmiths…

See the richer artist page