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Details
LOT 0168
Byzantine Silver Swan-Necked Ligula Spoon with Cross
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
9 in. (46 grams, 22.7 cm).
Shallow piriform bowl attached to a stepped baluster, hexagonal-section handle with spike finial; engraved cross potent to either side of the junction.
Provenance
French private collection.
Acquired on the French art market in 2011.
Acquired by the present owner at the above.
This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12240-222347.
This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
Literature
Cf. Shelton, K.J., The Esquiline Treasure, London, 1981, item 27, for type.
Footnotes
The lateral incised cross motifs suggest that the spoon may have had a liturgical purpose, possibly associated with baptism.
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LOT 0168
Byzantine Silver Swan-Necked Ligula Spoon with Cross
Estimate £1,500 - 2,000€1,740 - 2,320 (for guidance only)$2,030 - 2,700 (for guidance only)
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Some repairs.
with The Bactria Corp., NYC, USA, 1970s. Private collection, New York, USA. with Arte Primitivo, New York, USA, 17 March 2021, no.619 ($9,920.00). Private collection, London, UK. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D'Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12839-240781. This lot has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database, and is accompanied by an illustrated lot declaration signed by the Head of the Antiquities Department, Dr Raffaele D'Amato.
The relief shows similarities with scenes from sarcophagi made in Constantinople, which depict miracles of Christ witnessed by the Apostles, especially Saint Peter. In particular, due to its similarity to fragments of a sarcophagus from Leontopolis but carved in Byzantium, the scene may depict the healing of the blind man of Jericho, with Peter witnessing the miracles performed by Jesus.
