Artwork
Spoon (cochlear)
DepartmentAncient Mediterranean Art
CultureRoman
Date1st century B.C.-2nd century A.D.
MediumSilver
Dimensionslength: 3 5/8 in. (9.2 cm)
Credit LineMuseum Purchase: Stark-Willson Collection
Object number86.138.54
DescriptionA spoon (cochlear) with a round bowl and a truncated handle.Label TextGroup label:
Two different types of Roman spoons are on display in this case. The spoons with small circular bowls and handles that taper to a point were called cochlearia, from the Latin word for snail, and were used to eat snails and other shellfish. The large spoons with pointed bowls, called ligulae, were used to eat soups, sauces, and other liquids.
(J. Powers, 2008)
Provenancesold, by American Colony Stores, New York, to Miriam Lutcher Stark (1859-1936), Orange, TX, 1928; by inheritance to her son, H. J. Lutcher Stark (1887-1965), Orange, TX, 1936; by bequest to the Nelda C. and H. J. Lutcher Stark Foundation, Orange, TX, 1965; sold by the Stark Foundation to the San Antonio Museum of Art, 1986Published ReferencesA. Walsh, "An Investigation of Roman Silver Plate in the San Antonio Museum of Art," (Trinity University Undergraduate Honors Thesis: 2010), 44-47, 78-79, no. 54, pl. 47-48.InscriptionsDotted inscription on the exterior of the bowl: IOVNot on view
Collections
The San Antonio Museum of Art is in the process of digitizing its permanent collection. This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect SAMA's complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of such records is ongoing.
This resource has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the Human Endeavor.
