The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 17, 2024

Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete

Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete

350–400
silver, silver gilt, and niello
Overall: 4.6 x 5.6 cm (1 13/16 x 2 3/16 in.)
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.
  • Mrs. Paul Mallon, New York.
    1964-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • 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
    Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 44-45, no. 5
    Hervas, Rocio Gordillo, Eduardo Ferrer Albelda, Alvaro Pereira Delgado. "Compitiendo Para los Dioses: Los Rituales Agonisticos en el Mundo Antiguo," Spal Monografias Arqueologia XLIII Sevilla, 2022. cover
  • 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).
    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"
    Cleveland, CMA: "From Hand to Mouth: A History of Flatware" October 18, 1994-March 26, 1995.
    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.
    Art of the Late Antique. The Rose Art Museum, Waltham, MA (organizer) (December 17, 1968-February 16, 1969).
    Waltham Mass.; Ross Art Museum, Brandeis University: "Art of the Late Antique," December 17, 1968--February 17, 1969.
    Golden Anniversary of Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10-October 16, 1966).
  • {{cite web|title=Spoon with Saint Paul as an Athlete|url=false|author=|year=350–400|access-date=17 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1964.39