使徒勺子 - 美国大都会艺术博物馆展品查阅

品名（中）	使徒勺子
品名（英）	Apostle Spoon
入馆年号	1955年，55.42.8
策展部门	修道院（The Cloisters）
创作者
创作年份	公元 1487 - 公元 1493
创作地区
分类	金属制品银（Metalwork-Silver）
尺寸	整体: 6 15/16 x 1 15/16 x 11/16 英寸 (17.6 x 5 x 1.8 厘米)
介绍（中）	1494年，在约克立下的遗嘱中首次提到了使徒勺子，勺子上印有一位使徒的形象，并附有他的使徒徽章。遗嘱中将其描述为"xiji cocliaris argenti com Apostolis super eorum fines"（"13个末端有使徒的镀金银勺子"）。从数字"xiji"（13）中可以看出，这一套还包括一个"大师"勺子，上面会出现救世主手持圆球和十字架的形象都铎王朝时期的某个时候，英国的一位富有的教母在他的教子受洗时送给他这样一套勺子成为了一种习俗。当莎士比亚的大主教克兰默（Crammer）反对在"美丽的年轻女仆"伊丽莎白（Elizabeth）的洗礼中担任教父的荣誉时，国王亨利八世（King Henry VIII）回答道："来吧，来吧，我的主人，你会放过你的勺子"（V，4）——因此，这表明这是大主教拒绝接受的礼物的代价。然而，更普遍的情况是，只给了一个勺子，勺子的末端是与受洗的孩子或教父同名的使徒。有一些例子表明，最后一刻的人物不是使徒，而仅仅是圣人——圣尼古拉斯是最常见的代表人物之一不幸的是，这里展出的勺子上的使徒无法被安全识别。举着一根折断的手杖，可能是圣犹达（他的象征是他殉道的戟），也可能是圣托马斯（他的象征就是他在印度传教时被刺穿的长矛）。勺子上有身份不明的银匠印记。
介绍（英）	Apostle spoons – spoons which bear the figure of one of the apostles accompanied by his apostolic emblem – are first mentioned in a will made in York in 1494, which described them as "xiji cocliaris argenti com Apostolis super eorum fines" ("13 silver gilt spoons with apostles on the top of their ends"). It would appear from the number "xiji" (13) that this set also included a "master" spoon, on which the image of the Savior holding the orb and cross would have appeared. Sometime during the Tudor period it became customary in England for a wealthy godparent to give such a set of spoons to his godchild at his christening. When Shakespeare’s Archbishop Cranmer demurs to the honor of standing as the godfather at the baptism of the "fair young maid" Elizabeth, King Henry VIII responds, "Come, come, my lord, you’d spare your spoons" (V, 4) – thus suggesting that is was the expense of such a gift that caused the archbishop to refuse. More generally, however, a single spoon was given instead, the terminus of which was in the form of the apostle who shared the name of the child being christened or of the godfather. There are instances in which the figure on the finial was not an apostle but merely a saint – St. Nicholas being one of the more commonly represented. The apostle on the spoon exhibited here cannot, unfortunately, be securely identified. Holding a broken staff, is could be either St. Jude (whose symbol was the halberd by which he suffered martyrdom) or St. Thomas (whose symbol is the spear by which he was pierced during his missionary work in India). The spoon bears unidentified silver maker’s marks.