Two-tined pointed fork with sloping shoulders. Gilded neck elaborately decorated with leaves, masks and scrollwork. Slightly curved handle of red coral, carved with a grotesque head on the front, above it a torso and head of a man wearing a helmet. Back of handle carved in decorative pattern.

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This object and one other are part of a set whose first object is Fork And Spoon (Germany), 1600–30.

Object Timeline

-0001	We photographed this object.
1985	We acquired this object.
2006	We exhibited this object.
2021	You found it!

Fork (Germany), ca. 1600–1630

This is a Fork. It is dated ca. 1600–1630 and we acquired it in 1985. Its medium is coral, gilt silver. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

This object was donated by Eleanor L. Metzenberg. It is credited The Robert L. Metzenberg Collection, gift of Eleanor L. Metzenberg.

Links of pink coral joined with gold rivets; ornamental clasp elaborately decorated with leaves, flowers and fruit carved in coral and mounted on gold stems.

Bracelet (Italy), ca. 1870
coral, gold.
Gift of the estate and in memory of Robert B. Noyes.
1946-50-19

Dessert spoon with handle design of a scorpion on a leaf.

Dessert Spoon with Scorpion Spoon, ca. 1890
silver.
Museum purchase from Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program,....
1996-56-1

Scimitar-shaped blade with rounded end. Octagonal socket of plain brass. Handle of wood carved with female virtues: Faith, Hope and Charity all holding their attributes.

Knife (England), ca. 1700
cut and honed steel, carved wood, cut sheet brass.
The Robert L. Metzenberg Collection, gift of Eleanor L. Metzenberg.
1985-103-49

Our curators have highlighted 8 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

Long two-tined fork, rounded shoulder, articulated neck. Silver reeded ferrule. Handle of antler carved as grotesque bearded male face with fur-trimmed head.

Fork, mid–late 18th century
antler, steel, silver.
The Robert L. Metzenberg Collection, gift of Eleanor L. Metzenberg.
1985-103-155-a

Small panel of embroidery in high relief of a tree in an oval with an elaborate framework. The field is filled by an oak tree with dimensional leaves in shades of green. The trunk and branches are very dimensional, and are worked in silver metallic thread, now tarnished. At the base of the tree is a salamander, also in silver metallic thread. The background shows a landscape worked in pale silks with mountains and buildings, possibly a monastery. From the limbs of the tree hang crutches, a wax leg, and a censer.
The oval is surrounded by a row of coral beads and two rows of couched metal thread. The framework is embroidered with plant forms; in the two upper corners are coiled serpents, and in the two lower corners serpents emerge from cornucopias. The framework is accented accented throughout with coral beads and edged with a scalloped lace, probably added later.

Panel For A Cabinet Door, late 16th–early 17th century
silk, metal wire, metal strips, coral beads.
Gift of Marian Hague.
1959-144-1

Costume design in red and orange for a red knight. Figure looks to the right with its arm raised. Figure wears a helmet in the shape of a horse’s head with yellow horse hair tassels streaming down it, a tunic in red with yellow horse hair tassels hanging from the sleeve, and red and orange tights.

Drawing, Costume Design: Red Knight, for "Checkmate", ca. 1947
brush and gouache, graphite on white paper.
Gift of Mrs. E. McKnight Kauffer.
1963-39-278

Its dimensions are

L x W: 19 x 1.7 cm (7 1/2 x 11/16 in.)

It has the following markings

On shoulder of fork: embellished "N" within oval contour, flattened on top

Cite this object as

Fork (Germany), ca. 1600–1630; Previously owned by Robert L. Metzenberg ; coral, gilt silver; L x W: 19 x 1.7 cm (7 1/2 x 11/16 in.); The Robert L. Metzenberg Collection, gift of Eleanor L. Metzenberg; 1985-103-81

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Feeding Desire: Design and the Tools of the Table, 1500-2005.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2EnTk/
Accession Number 1985-103-81
Object ID 18804373