Sale: CNG 69, Lot: 2259. Estimate $500.  Closing Date: Wednesday, 8 June 2005.  Sold For $600. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

[Antiquities] ROMAN. Silver dining spoon. Circa 3rd-5th century AD. Length 150mm. Silver spoon with pear-shaped bowl, engraved with scene of an eros catching a fish, an altar behind. Thin handle with pointed tip, used for shellfish. Patchy patina, granular surfaces. Rare Roman domestic item. ($500)

Scenes of erotes engaged in everyday domestic activities were a popular theme in Roman art. However, the close association of fish and fishing with early Christianity makes one wonder if this scene might have a hidden Christian connotation.