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Lot Essay
Show-plates or picture-dishes, with figured scenes filling the entire field, are part of a tradition that goes back to the 1st century A.D. See, for example, the so-called Aquileia patera in Vienna, pl. 44A in Strong, Greek and Roman Gold and Silver Plate. The type gained in popularity in the 2nd and 3rd centuries and its production continued into the Byzantine period. As Oliver informs (Silver for the Gods: 800 Years of Greek and Roman Silver, pp. 148-149), examples of ancient silver that survive from the 2nd and 3rd centuries are far rarer than that which was preserved in the 1st century by Vesuvius. Although late 3rd century silver has been found in organized burials as protection from encroaching barbarians in parts of central Europe.
The vocabulary of the inscription on this bowl helps to date it to the 3rd century. The noun \Kproskunhth\ks (worshipper) is not classical and is primarily known through Christian sources, including the Gospel of John (4:23). The word is used regularly by early Christian authors. In the late 2nd-early 3rd century, Clement of Alexandria (Protrepticus 52, 1: 96, 4; 97, 3) uses the word to describe pagan "worshippers of stones" in contrast to "worshippers of the good (i.e. Christians)."
The distinctly practical pagan nature of the subject matter indicates that this must be a work created before the 4th century. Although several pagan subjects are illustrated on silver and other wares from the Late Antique and Byzantine periods, all or most illustrate paideia, or the ancient vocabulary, rather than contemporary pagan practice as evinced here. For an analysis of 4th-5th century "pagan revival" silver in its context as paideia of tradition, pagan lore, and secularization of myth, see p. 141ff. in Leader-Newby, Silver and Society in Late Antiquity.
The vocabulary of the inscription on this bowl helps to date it to the 3rd century. The noun \Kproskunhth\ks (worshipper) is not classical and is primarily known through Christian sources, including the Gospel of John (4:23). The word is used regularly by early Christian authors. In the late 2nd-early 3rd century, Clement of Alexandria (Protrepticus 52, 1: 96, 4; 97, 3) uses the word to describe pagan "worshippers of stones" in contrast to "worshippers of the good (i.e. Christians)."
The distinctly practical pagan nature of the subject matter indicates that this must be a work created before the 4th century. Although several pagan subjects are illustrated on silver and other wares from the Late Antique and Byzantine periods, all or most illustrate paideia, or the ancient vocabulary, rather than contemporary pagan practice as evinced here. For an analysis of 4th-5th century "pagan revival" silver in its context as paideia of tradition, pagan lore, and secularization of myth, see p. 141ff. in Leader-Newby, Silver and Society in Late Antiquity.