An arretine chalice in Missouri
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Among the Roman vases in the University of Missouri's Museum of Art and Archaeology, an Arretine terra sigillata chalice is notable because of its figural scene in relief and the stamps of the potter/producer Marcus Perennius Bargathes (Fig. 1). Terra sigillata is a class of ancient pottery, a tableware that first appeared ca. 30 BCE. It is known for its red color, glossy appearance, and wide distribution across the Roman Empire. The Latin term sigilla means "little figures or images." The pseudo-Latin term terra sigillata is a modern technical designation first adopted in the late 19th century to indicate vessels decorated with relief, but it can also refer to plain vessels. Vessels with relief decoration were thrown on the wheel in pottery molds whose inner surfaces were impressed with stamps or punches. Thus, any vessel formed in the mold would have an exterior design in relief originating from the interior of the mold. After drying, the vessels shrank and could be removed from the mold and finished by attachment of a foot and handles, if needed. To produce the bright red, glossy appearance, the vases were first coated with a gloss and then fired in an oxidizing atmosphere between 1,050 and 1,200 degrees Celsius. The chalice is decorated with ten male figures in relief, standing or seated, and two potter's stamps. It stands to a height of ca. 18.8 cm with a diameter at the rim of 20.3 cm. According to the examination conducted at the Museum in July 1985, it has been mended from approximately ten fragments and is about 70-75 percent complete (Fig. 2). The foot, chips from the rim, and the lower sections of two figures (Figs. 3E, 3F, 9, and 10) were restored in tinted plaster; airbrushing with an acetone-soluble paint of a matching color covers the joins and missing areas.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 License.