Harvard Art Museums > 1977.216.2893: Sherd Fragments Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Sherd , 1977.216.2893,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 19, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/290104. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1977.216.2893 Title Sherd Classification Fragments Work Type sherd Date 1st century BCE-1st century CE Period Roman Imperial period, Early Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/290104 Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta Technique Mold-made Dimensions 4.4 x 0.5 x 7.5 cm (1 3/4 x 3/16 x 2 15/16 in.) Inscriptions and Marks inscription: find-spot - "York, Oct. 21 1873" in Haynes' hand. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, Bequest of Henry W. Haynes, 1912 Accession Year 1977 Object Number 1977.216.2893 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Fragment of the body of an Arretine ware vessel. There are three vertical registers or panels separated by lines of raised, round dots. The panel on the left features a small lion mid-stride, with the feet not touching any register lines. Above his head is a fragment of a roundel. The middle panel has a narrow, vertical vegetal design. The panel to the right depicts a head with hair down to just below the ears, perhaps a theater mask. The figure appears to be frowning. Wheel marks are still visible beneath the decorations and on the inside of the fragment. Commentary LIVE LIKE A ROMAN: DAILY LIFE OBJECT COLLECTION Arretine ware is the name for fine Roman pottery that originated in Arrentium, an ancient Roman town in modern-day Tuscany. It is often called Arezzo ware for the modern name of the town. This type of pottery was coated in red slip and originated in the first century BCE. It became extremely popular in the first century CE, but eventually was surpassed by Samian ware, which was created mainly in Gaul. Arretine vessels were most often made from molds, an example of which can be seen in this collection. Molds could be used for numerous castings until they eventually wore down or broke. Often the decoration on Arretine vessels was meant to imitate the more expensive silver vessels of the day. Instead of being mold-made, some Arretine ware was created on a wheel and decorated by hand. Arretine ware is often confused with terra sigillata, which translates to "stamped earth." Though the definitions are very similar and often interchangeable, terra sigillata generally refers to highly decorated red gloss pottery, as opposed to red slip. The red gloss was obtained by polishing the slip until it reached silky luster, then fired at a low temperature. [Jessica Pesce 8/2010] Publication History George H. Chase and Mary Zelia Pease, Corpus Vasorum Antiquorum, U.S.A.: volume 8, Fogg Museum and Gallatin Collections, Harvard University Press (Cambridge, MA, 1942), p. 71, pl. XL.12 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
