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Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete

350-400

late Roman Empire, perhaps Syria, early Byzantine, 4th century

Silver, silver gilt, and niello

Overall: 4.6 x 5.6 cm (1 13/16 x 2 3/16 in.)

Weight: 52.5 g (1.85 oz.)

John L. Severance Fund 1964.39

Location

104 Late Antiquity

Description

Silver spoons with swan neck handles (ligulae) were popular in the Late Roman Empire. This late antique spoon is unique because it is decorated with the nude figure of a victorious athlete identified in an inscription as PAVLVS (Paul). It is tempting to interpret the juxtaposition of the name with a classical representation of an athlete as a subtle allusion to a passage in Saint Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 9:24-27), in which the apostle characterizes himself as an "athlete of Christ." While this interpretation may imply that the spoon’s owner was a Christian, it does not imply a religious function for the object, which was likely used for display or fine dining.

Inscriptions

Inscription

the interior of the bowl contains an inscription filled with niello giving the Latin name of "PAVLVS."

Provenance

Mrs. Paul Mallon, New York.

1964-

The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 36 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 36 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 34 archive.org

Exhibition history

Waltham Mass.; Ross Art Museum, Brandeis University: "Art of the Late Antique," December 17, 1968--February 17, 1969.

New York, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: "The Age of Spirituality: Late Antique and Early Christian Art, 3rd to 7th century" November 19, 1977--February 12, 1978, no. 316.

Cleveland, CMA: "From Hand to Mouth: A History of Flatware" October 18, 1994-March 26, 1995.

Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966).

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).

Cite this page

{{cite web|title=Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1964.39|year=350-400|access-date=28 July 2021|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete

Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete

late Roman Empire, perhaps Syria, early Byzantine, 4th century

Location

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