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Fork, Knife, and Spoon

A work made of bloodstone (heliotrope), silver, gilding, and steel.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bloodstone (heliotrope), silver, gilding, and steel.

Date:

c. 1600

Artist:

Southern Germany

About this artwork

This rare complete set of cutlery consists of a fork, knife, and spoon that are all finely worked with precious materials. The delicate scrolling silver-gilt mounts and finials with diminutive helmeted heads of the goddess Minerva date these utensils to around 1600, which was when personal cutlery sets became increasingly popular in court culture. For the banqueting elite of German courts, having a personal cutlery set was a requisite sign of civility. As objects they were equally prized for use at the table or as art pieces found in Kunstkammeren (collector’s cabinets of curiosities). Utensils using hardstones were especially sought after as the material was believed to have curative properties.

Status

On View, Gallery 238

Department

Applied Arts of Europe

Title

Fork, Knife, and Spoon

Place

Southern Germany (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1595–1605

Medium

Bloodstone (Heliotrope), silver, gilding, and steel

Dimensions

Knife: H.: 24 cm (9 7/16 in.); Fork: H.: 18 cm (7 1/8 in.); Spoon: H.: 19 cm (7 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

European Decorative Arts General Acquisition Fund

Reference Number

2018.2.1-3

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/242046/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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