Silver Spoon

Unknown

mid-6th–mid-7th century · Silver, niello, traces of gilding · Medieval Art

Probably once part of a set, this handsome spoon exemplifies the exceptional quality of the finest Early Byzantine silver. The spoon's bowl, outlined in an elegant wave pattern worked in niello, contains an inscription in Latin: puritas, or "purity." The tapering stem with traces of gilding displays in niello the name Matteus, possibly a reference to the evangelist Matthew. Small crosses beside the inscriptions and on the disk connecting the bowl and the stem place the work within a Christian context. Also on the disk is the monogram of the as-yet-identified owner. The use of Latin for the inscriptions associates the spoon with Roman imperial tradition, which was transferred to the new Rome, Constantinople, in the fourth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-6th–mid-7th century

Medium

Silver, niello, traces of gilding

Culture

Byzantine

Department

Medieval Art

Credit line

Purchase, John C. Weber Gift, in honor of Helen C. Evans, 2005