The Athena bowl from the Hildesheim Silver Hoard

On 17 October 1868, soldiers of the 3rd Hanover infantry regiment uncovered a horde of silver treasure while digging the foundations for a new shooting range at Galgenberg near Hildesheim. The find was made up of 70 artefacts: smaller bowls, cups and plates were carefully stacked inside three large vessels, other utensils lying beside them, all protected in a 1.66 x 0.90 m pit at a depth of 2.35 to 2.80 m. Due to the deposits of wet earth, the soldering on handles and feet had come loose, some parts were damaged by corrosion or had completely decomposed. As the find had been made on state grounds that were owned by the army, the state was entitled to one half of the treasure while the other half went to the finders who received a sizable settlement. The Prussian War Ministry transferred the silver to the Royal Museums in Berlin and on 17 September 1869 the king donated it to the antiquities collection. The Hildesheim silver treasure is basically a set of dinnerware. Although the sheer size of the find is impressive – numerous drinking vessels comprising beautifully ornate and smooth cups and bowls, pitchers, a ladle and large vessels for mixing wine as well as tableware with complete sets of flat plates and deep dishes, pans and serving platters along with a folding table and candelabra – its value is particularly demonstrated by the splendour of the centrepieces. These were meant to pay testament to the owner’s wealth and good taste. They were produced as representative pieces and not intended for everyday use. One of the finest items is the Athena bowl, one of four magnificent bowls with an ornate central emblem that were found among the tableware. The relief shows the goddess of youth sitting at an angle on a rock, a shield under her left arm, the right hand holding a rudder. She wears a chiton, belted high above the waist, over it a cloak, and an aegis worn like a sash across her chest to ward off evil. The longhaired goddess is looking behind her; three plumes on her Attic helmet, held in place by couchant sphinxes, act as a counterbalance facing the opposite direction. The helmet and her right foot with sandal are in much higher relief than the rest of the figure and project beyond the borders of the motif. They were cast separately and soldered on. The scene within the round emblem includes a rock in front of the goddess encircled by an olive wreath, on which her sacred animal, the owl, is perched. A decorative ring secures the exquisite relief emblem to the bottom of the bowl, framed by a wide border of acanthus leaves and palmettes. The special attraction of the Athena bowl lies in the subtle use of gold for both the central emblem and the decoration of the magnificent bowl: the unclothed body parts of the goddess shimmer in a matt silver finish against a background of the same colour, while her dress, the attributes, and the two rock formations gleam in gold. The silver tones of the leaves of the ornamental frame stand out vividly from the golden background. On the outer side of the bowl, silver and golden lancet-shaped leaves alternate with each other onto which the two handles are attached. Many of the vessels that make up the Hildesheim silver have different origins and come from different eras which together with traces of wear, repairs and the names of five different owners that have been found on the vessels, tells us that the dinner service was added to and inherited over an extended period of time. Details of weight – hallmarked on many pieces for the owner’s use – also reveal that this collection comprises only about half of the original drinking vessels.