Roman Silver Cochlear Spoon Inscribed 'May You Live in God'

CIRCA 4TH CENTURY A.D.

5 1/4 in. (13.5 grams, 13.4 cm).

Composed of a decoratively twisted slender stem with onion knop finial and roughly D-shaped neck formed as the arched neck of a horse, the restored oval bowl bearing a Latin inscription '[V]IVASINDEO' to the interior, the underside gently carinated. [No Reserve]

Provenance

Ex Garcia collection, France, 1990s-2000s.

Literature

Cf. The British Museum, museum number 1994,0408.122, for this inscription on a similar spoon discovered as part of the Hoxne hoard.

Footnotes

According to the British Museum, the inscription corresponds to the phrase 'Vivas in deo', meaning 'May you live in God'. This inscription was common in the Roman Empire and especially in Roman Britain after the advent of Christianity. A small Roman silver disc, thought to have been part of a signet ring, dated to 4th-5th century and found near Swaffham, is inscribed 'Antonius, may you live in God (Antoni, vivas in Deo)'. It is highly possible that our spoon, if a liturgical object, was used to administer Holy Communion.

CONDITION

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LOT 0658