Object ID
F2013.50
Object Name
Paten
Object Description
This paten has a small circular tray raised on a stand. According to a stamped inscription on the brim of the bottom the piece is made of sterling silver.

The tray is heavily decorated with rings of designs and a central star. The tray has a wide, high lip that has a repeating pattern of a pointed oval almost like a petal with a semicircle at its center where the pattern ends at the enterior edge of the lip. Each of these petals is touching at the sides and has three small dots in between them. On the lower section of the tray the outermost decoration is a series of three bands. The outer and inner bands are both a ropelike patter. The inside in a repeated 1:1 pattern of long smooth ovals and circles that are indented with a smaller circle.

Then there is a smooth slight raised field on which, at the very center of the plate, is a star design. The outer ring of rays alternates between short tear drop shapes and longer, more pointed tear drops. The inside resembles an eight petalled flower with a circle at its exact center. The underside of the tray shows the indentation from the designs above.

The stand itself is similar to any cup stand with a wide, round base that grows incrimentally smaller so that it is narrowest just before it meets the tray. On the endge of the bottom of the stand a few words have been stamped in Greek and English. In Greek it says G. Papageorgiou & Co. Factories. After that, it says in English "Sterling Silver." This piece feels a lot more like tin than silver.
Origin
A Paten or Diskos is used as a part of holy communion in the Greek Orthodox church to hold the Eucharist bread. The plate is often covered by an Asterix, two crossing strips of metal that attach onto the lip of the paten, representing the star of Bethlehem. In other ceremonies the discos can be used to hold relics or important ritual artifacts.

There is a G. Papageorgiou & Co. in Piraeus, Greece. It is a marine and industrial supply company so it is probably not the same company or it has changed focus since this piece was made.
Rights and Reproduction
The content on this site is made available for research and education purposes only. The use of these materials may be restricted by law or the donor.

Any other use, such as exhibition, publication, or commercial use, is not allowed except by written permission in accordance with the NHM Image Rights and Reproduction Policy.

For questions on image rights and reproduction, please contact nhmcollections@hellenicmuseum.org
Citation
Paten, National Hellenic Museum, https://collections.nationalhellenicmuseum.org/Detail/objects/9826. Accessed 03/28/24.