Bread Stamp

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Culture Byzantine

Title Bread Stamp

Date 400–700 CE

Medium Marble

Dimensions Overall (Diameter of stamp): 3 3/4 in. (9.6 cm)
Overall1 (Diameter of handle): 1 11/16 x 2 3/16 in. (4.3 x 5.6 cm)

Credit Line Burton Y. Berry Collection, Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University

Accession Number 76.37.1

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About this Work

Inscriptions, particularly those invoking blessings, were often added to domestic objects. Bread stamps were also used to convey prayerful messages or symbols. This stamp is carved with a Greek cross. While it could have been used to mark Eucharistic bread and, therefore, would be liturgical in function, it might have been used in a Christian home.

Provenance
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Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.

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"Bread Stamp | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=76.37.1