Fork with Mule-Head Finial
AD 375–425
Maker Unknown
Greek and Roman Art
Fork with Mule-Head Finial, AD 375–425. Italy, Roman, late 4th Century - early 5th Century. Silver; overall: 0.5 x 20.4 cm (3/16 x 8 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Alexander 1987.210 This two-tined silver fork has a faceted handle that terminates in a mule head, perhaps a nod to its use for meat— whether cooking, serving, or eating. Forks from the premodern Mediterranean are rare, only known through a small number of surviving examples. Extant forks are relatively large and often bronze, making this silver example still more rare. This fork served a utilitarian purpose as flatware in antiquity.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Metalwork
- Formatted Medium
- silver
- Medium
- silver
- Dimensions
- Overall: 0.5 x 20.4 cm (3/16 x 8 1/16 in.)
- Departments
- Greek and Roman Art
- Accession Number
- 1987.210
- Credit Line
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Quentin Alexander
- Exhibitions
- The Year in Review for 1987, <em>From Hand to Mouth: A History of Flatware. </em>The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland OH (October 18, 1994-March 26, 1995)
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 103 Roman
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