Sketchbook of 28 leaves of yellow wove paper, 29 pages blank, ring bound with stiff card covers, containing designs for jewellery, necklaces, bracelets, rings, candlesticks, pendants, cigarette cases, spoons, an evening bag, a drawing of an arab's head after Delacroix, sketches of cycladic sculpture, a mosque in Iran, an Etruscan bronze vessel, an Etruscan warrior and two sketches of a rocky headland, Capri [?].

Lines are light, fluid, and often provisional, indicating rapid observation or ideation. Forms are simplified, with emphasis on silhouette and proportion rather than detail. Quick, almost accidental doodles—such as small animals in margins—appear alongside precise studies, revealing a mind in motion between observation and invention. Notes in Italian accompany some drawings, anchoring them in specific sources or intentions.

The sketchbook dates to the early 1990s and was used by a designer engaged in object-making. Some designs, particularly those inspired by Cycladic sculpture, directly informed the creation of a macassar ebony evening bag now held by the Victoria & Albert Museum. Its preservation suggests the artist or an institution recognized its value as a working document rather than a finished artwork.

This sketchbook aligns with late 20th-century design practices that revisited ancient forms as a means of renewing contemporary craft. The blending of ethnographic references—Etruscan, Cycladic, Islamic—with personal sketches of Capri reflects a broader trend among designers seeking authenticity through historical dialogue. The use of Italian notes hints at the artist’s geographic or cultural ties to Italy.

Though unsigned, the sketchbook’s influence is traceable through its realized objects, notably the V&A’s evening bag. It stands as a quiet testament to the iterative nature of design, where sketches serve as bridges between archaeological inspiration and functional form. Its unpolished quality underscores the value of process over finality in creative practice.