The first Christians developed the custom of stamping various images onto the surface of their bread, whether it was the bread they ate at daily meals or the bread that was shared among the faithful when they received Communion during the celebration of a mass. Bread stamped with religious motifs, either in relief or intaglio, was also sometimes used as eulogiae and given to pilgrims as a souvenir of their visit to a sanctuary. The motif shown here appears frequently in Syrian mosaics and decorative arts. The two stags are meant to symbolize the souls of believers, while the cypress tree in the middle of the composition is an allusion to eternity.
Provenance: Northern Syria.
Substance: Terra Cotta.
Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.5 cm.
Era: circa 600 CE.
Text: Michel Fortin (translated from French by Jane Macaulay).
Photo: Jacques Lessard.
Collection of the National Museum of Damascus.
Michel Fortin, Syria, Land of Civilization. Les Éditions de l'Homme, Musée de la Civilisation de Québec 1999.
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