Bread Stamp

Creator

Preview

Creation Date

18th century

Geography

Greece

Culture

Post-Byzantine, Greek, Orthodox

Medium

Wood

Dimensions

5 ¹/₄ × 4 ¹/₈ × 1 ¹³/₁₆ in. (13.2 × 10.6 × 4.6 cm)

Credit Line

Bequest of David P. Harris ('46), 2020

Accession Number

2020.360

Provenance

Purchased by David P. Harris from Three Friends Studio in Chicago on June 3, 1994.

Condition

There is some wear on the edges of the stamp where some of the wood has been chipped, mostly on the top left edge and right middle edge. Because of this damage the stamp is not a perfect rectangle. Along the right edge there is a blackened section where the texture of the wood is slightly different suggesting that it may have burned. There are also some small scratches and indentations on the stamp on the handle. September 2022. - Lucy Gibbs ('23)

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

On the handle and twice on the primary stamp: ΙC ΧC ΝΙΚ = Ἰ(ησοῦ)ς Χ(ριστό)ς νικ(ᾷ)= Jesus Christ conquers

In the lower sections of the right and middle columns: ΜΡ ΘΥ = Μ(ήτη)ρ Θ(εο)ῦ = Mother of God

The bishop saint on the left: ΟΑΓΙΟC ΝΚΛΟ = Ὁ ἅγιος Ν[ι]κ[ό]λ[α]ο[ς] = Saint Nicholas

The bishop saint on the right: ΟΑΓΙΟC ΧΛΡΠ = Ὁ ἅγιος ? = Saint ?

Lower sections of the left column: ΓΕΝΑ

Description

This bread stamp is carved from a brown wood, and consists of two stamps. The primary stamp is a large rectangle and the secondary square one is found on the pyramid-shaped handle. The primary stamp features several images and Greek inscriptions that have been divided into eight sections in three columns. These designs are carved in reverse so that they would produce correct impressions in the bread. The left column consists of three sections: 1) an inscription that reads “Jesus Christ Conquers”, 2) an image of the bishop Saint Nicholas, and 3) a grid of nine triangles representing the hierarchies of the angels and saints. The middle column includes two sections: 4) two bishop saints below wings, and 5) an image of the enthroned Mother and Child. The right column includes three sections: 6) an inscription that reads “Jesus Christ Conquers”, 7) another image of a bishop saint, and 8) a triangle within a square labeled “Mother of God.” The secondary stamp on the handle features an inscription that reads “Jesus Christ Conquers.”

Lucy Gibbs ('23) for ARHS 291 Museum Object (Fall 2022).