spoon
- Museum number
- 1946,1007.25
- Description
-
Silver handle of spoon in form of dolphin, or two dolphins overlapping. The attachment for the spoon is crescentic and narrows at each end, both of which are in the form of a stylised bird's head. The handle itself is in the form of a dolphin with a tripartite fin on top; the head has heavily indented eye sockets. The lower half of the dolphin runs into another 'head' with a deep eye socket on each side, topped with a single fin, perhaps intended to represent a second dolphin. The handle ends in a tripartite moulding to represent the tail. Belongs with bowl 1946,1007.18.
- Production date
- 4thC
- Dimensions
-
Length: 99.70 millimetres
-
Weight: 35.68 grammes
-
Width: 47.90 millimetres (handle attachment)
-
Width: 21.20 millimetres (tail)
- Curator's comments
- 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.
- Bibliographic references
-
Painter 1977a / The Mildenhall Treasure: Roman Silver from East Anglia
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Hobbs 2008 / The secret history of the Mildenhall treasure
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Roman Britain 1964 / Guide to the Antiquities of Roman Britain (p. 40)
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Hobbs & Jackson 2010 / Roman Britain Life at the Edge of Empire (p. 150, fig. 121)
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Hobbs 2016 / The Mildenhall Treasure: Late Roman Silver Plate from East Anglia (p.1, pl.1, p.4, p.5, pl.8, p.7, p.10, p.11, pl.15, pl.17, p.12, pl.18, p.15, p.16, p.17, table.2, p.209-219, p.209-212, p.215, table.15, p.217, p.218, pl.371, p.219, pl.374, p.220, p.237, p.238, pl.401, p.239, p.241, p.243, p.244, p.266, table.28, p.267, pl.407, p.271, p.279, table.31, p.297, p.298) (cat.16. See also 1946,1007.18)
- Location
- On display (G49/dc22)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
2005-2006 25 Jul-13 Jan, Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery, Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past
2005 12 Feb-26 Jun, Newcastle, Hancock Museum, Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past
2004-2005 1 Oct-15 Jan, Manchester Museum, Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past
2004 30 Apr-21 Sep, Cardiff, National Museums & Galleries of Wales, Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past
2003-2004 21 Nov-14 Mar, London, BM, Buried Treasure: Finding Our Past
- Condition
- One broken.
- Acquisition date
- 1946
- Acquisition notes
- Found while ploughing, 1942
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- 1946,1007.25