Markings on Silver : The Study of a Byzantine Silver Dish
Abstract
"In the study of ancient artifacts, a question that constantly plagues researchers concerns the establishment of provenance. While many works of art have documents listing their history of ownership, such written evidence rarely accompanies ancient objects. In these instances, the scholar must determine provenance from the evidence left on the artifact itself. One such object, a small silver dish with a cruciform monogram, sits on display in the collection of the Museum of Art and Archaeology at the University of Missouri, but very little is known about the date and place of its creation or its original function. The following article is an attempt to understand this beautiful piece better. It begins with a description of the object, including manufacturing techniques, current condition, and decoration. Then, a stylistic comparison to other artifacts and a brief consideration of the sociohistorical environment in Late Antiquity suggest a more precise date, region of origin, and function for the Missouri dish."--First paragraph.
Citation
Originally published in: Muse, 2016, volume 50, pages 45-58
Rights
OpenAccess
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.