Joe Jonas Sports New Fornasetti-Inspired Tattoo

On Monday, former Game of Thrones actress Sophie Turner posted a picture of her husband, singer Joe Jonas, on her Instagram story, and some interesting new ink was visible on his forearm. While neither one of the new parents (they welcomed a daughter, Willa, in July) has explicitly confirmed the tattoo or the story behind it, it appears to be a nod to the late Italian artist Piero Fornasetti.

Though he died in 1988, Fornasetti's often surreal and whimsical work continues to be quite popular today, with a studio helmed by his son still producing ceramics and other decorative items, furniture, scarves, and more featuring his artwork. His most recognizable subject, by far, is the face that appears in Jonas's tattoo. It is the Italian opera singer Lina Cavalieri, of whom Fornasetti produced over 350 different portraits for his “Tema e Variazioni” series. The visage first appeared on a plate, but different versions decorate all kinds of items produced by the brand.

Three variations appear on the “Cake by the Ocean” singer's arm. In the first, Cavalieri is covering her face with her hands. In the second, her face is fully visible, but appears to be shaded with spots reminiscent of a comic book. In the third, she is sipping from a mug. It seems likely that this combination is meant to symbolize the proverb "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil."

Jonas is no stranger to tattoos inspired by famous artists. Inked magazine reports that the star has a re-creation of the Salvador Dalí painting The Persistence of Memory on his bicep, and he also has what looks very much like Jean-Michel Basquiat's signature crown on his leg.

Inked notes that the Dalí piece was done by tattoo artist Eva Krbdk, and that Dragon, an artist at the well-known New York City tattoo parlor Bang Bang, is responsible for several more of Jonas's tattoos, including the matching hyperrealistic portraits he and Turner got of their dog Waldo after he was killed in a car accident. The publication speculates that either of these artists could have been behind the Fornasetti ink, and recent posts on both of their Instagram pages support this. A September 26 post by Dragon (liked by Jonas!), shows him etching another iteration of Cavalieri's face into an arm, and a September 10 post by Krbdk shows a piece she did of Cavaleiri's face adorned in Indian-style jewelry.

Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest