ClassificationsGreek and Roman Art
Samian Ware Bowl Fragment with Gladiators
CultureRoman
PeriodImperial
Date2nd Century CE
MediumCeramic
Credit LineGift of William Knight Zewadski
Dimensions2 7/8 x 3 5/8 x 1/2 in. (7.3 x 9.2 x 1.3 cm)
Object number2013.047.010
Label TextThis panel decorated fragment is an example of a form of Roman terra sigillata pottery known as Samian ware, a type produced in Gaul (area of present-day France). Samian ware was commonly exported to Britian during the Roman period. The fragment depicts a battle between three gladiators at its center. The leftmost gladiator advances towards his opponents with a trident, a weapon associated with a type of gladiator called the retiarius. The retiarius also wore a shoulder guard on his left arm that curves outward, allowing him to us it to shield his head. His two opponents appear to be secutors, who wore large, fully enclosed helmets with small eye holes and carried large, rectangular curved shields that were designed to cover their bodies and withstand the retiarius’s attack.
In the panel beneath, a lion and boar charge towards each other. These panels are decorated by a dotted border, and vegetal decoration on the other side continued to border other scenes. The decorative egg-and-dash border interspersed with tongue forms is characteristic of Samian ware.
ProvenanceEx coll. William Knight Zewadski, United States.
Status
Not on viewCollections
- Greek and Roman Art
Slip: 2.5YR 4/6
Clay Body: 10R 5/6
2nd Century CE
Before ca. 85 CE
1st-2nd Century CE
1st-2nd Century CE
2nd Century CE
1st-2nd Century CE
