Handle in the form of a monkey poking its face through large parted leaves.

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See more objects with the tag silver, cutlery, monkey, fork.

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This and 59 other objects are a part of a set whose first object is Dessert Service And Case (France).

Object Timeline

1996	We acquired this object.
1998	We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2006	We exhibited this object.
2015	We photographed this object.
2019	You found it!

Dessert Fork (France), ca. 1890

This is a Dessert fork. It is dated ca. 1890 and we acquired it in 1996. Its medium is silver. It is a part of the Product Design and Decorative Arts department.

Designed not just for opulent display but also as a functional element in a final dinner course, this dessert service is an example of the expansive, highly specialized sets of cutlery that were considered ceremonially and functionally necessary for the elegant dinner table in late-19th-century Europe and America. This extravagant display of wealth in silverware exhibits the overindulgence attributed to gluttony.

It is credited Museum purchase from Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, Decorative Arts Association Acquisition, and Sarah Cooper-Hewitt Funds.

Handle in the form of a patinated earwig grasping a centipede at the edge of a leaf.

Dessert Spoon (France), ca. 1890
silver.
Museum purchase from Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program,....
1996-56-13

Monkey seated, looking over right shoulder; painted with orange face, hands and feet.

Monkey Figure, 1930–40
porcelain, enamel.
The Henry and Ludmilla Shapiro Collection; Partial gift and partial purchase....
1989-41-131

In the form of a seated monkey, with arms folded at his front and right thumb touching his mouth, features and fur highlighted by brass and reddish-brown patinated finish, glass eyes. Head, which serves as lid, hinged on back. Link attached on his upper right arm. Striker in recessed groove on bottom, beneath his feet. Box may sit upright on table.

Seated Monkey Matchsafe, late 19th century
patinated brass, glass.
Gift of Stephen W. Brener and Carol B. Brener.
1980-14-876

Its dimensions are

L x W x D: 19.1 x 2.2 x 2 cm (7 1/2 x 7/8 x 13/16 in.)

Cite this object as

Dessert Fork (France), ca. 1890; silver; L x W x D: 19.1 x 2.2 x 2 cm (7 1/2 x 7/8 x 13/16 in.); Museum purchase from Smithsonian Institution Collections Acquisition Program, Decorative Arts Association Acquisition, and Sarah Cooper-Hewitt Funds; 1996-56-22

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/2DB8a/
Accession Number 1996-56-22
Object ID 18653795