Silver ladles from the Mildenhall treasure
Roman Britain, 4th century AD
Found in Mildenhall, Suffolk
Deep, round-bowled spoons or ladles like this have been found in
many late-Roman silver hoards. The decorative dolphin handles of
these examples are gilded and originally had inlays, probably of
glass, in their eyes. They resemble some of the dolphins depicted
in the Hoxne treasure.
The solder which originally attached the handles to the bowls
has decayed during the time spent buried in the ground; it is now
difficult to tell which handle belongs to which bowl.
K.S. Painter, The Mildenhall Treasure-1 (London, 1977)