Apostle spoon 1565 - 1566

This is an apostle spoon made of silver by John Foxe in the late 16th century. The spoon's design is strikingly divided between its functional bowl and the ornamental figure at the handle’s end. Consider the contrast in form: the spoon presents a smooth, concave space, designed for utility, juxtaposed against the detailed, figural sculpture of an apostle. This contrast is not merely decorative; it embodies the tension between the sacred and the everyday, the symbolic and the practical. The apostle, meticulously crafted, serves as a sign, an emblem of faith, yet is literally attached to an object of daily use. The spoon complicates our understanding of objects; it resists a singular definition, challenging us to consider how meaning is constructed through the interplay of form, function, and symbolism.