Mold for a Eulogia (Blessing) Bread
Unknown Artist
600s-900s
Medium
wood
Dimensions
h. 8.8 cm, d. 1.9 cm
Classification
Sculpture
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Thirty-fifth anniversary gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mallon
Accession Number
1951.152
About this artwork
It was a common early Christian practice to stamp images and inscriptions into loaves of bread using special molds. Representing the Church of the Holy Sepulcher on Mount Golgotha--the hill outside Jerusalem on which Christ was crucified and entombed--this wooden mold was probably used to stamp loaves of bread distributed to pilgrims visiting Jerusalem, in commemoration of their journey.