Spoon
Unknown Artist
5th–6th century
Medium
Silver
Dimensions
Overall: 9 1/2 x 1 3/4 x 15/16 in. (24.2 x 4.5 x 2.4 cm) shovel: 3 3/8 x 1 3/4 x 7/16 in. (8.6 x 4.5 x 1.1 cm)
Classification
Metalwork-Silver
Culture
Byzantine
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1913
Accession Number
13.42.1c
Art Historical Context
This elegant silver spoon from the 5th–6th offers a glimpse into the refined world of early Byzantine daily life. Crafted during the height of the Byzantine Empire—centered in Constantinople after the fall of the Western Empire—it measures an impressive 9½ inches overall, with a broad shovel-shaped bowl about 3⅜ inches long. Such spoons were essential utensils for the elite, used in dining, religious rituals, or even as gifts, showcasing the era's mastery of metalworking. Byzantine silverwork blended Roman engineering with Eastern opulence, often featuring intricate chasing, engraving, or gil...