Αρχαίος Ρωμαίος Κεραμική κύπελλο terra sigilata (Dragendorff 1895, τύπος 27) Αποδίδεται στον Ανατολικό Γαλατικό αγγειοπλάστη - 61 mm

Gallo-Roman Terra Sigillata Bowl, Dragendorff 27, attributed to the East Gaulish potter BOVDVS (Lavoye)

Culture / Period: Ancient Roman
Date / Period: 2nd century A.D.
Material: Terra sigillata
Dimensions: 61 x 132 mm
Condition: Good condition

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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 2.
The current owner purchased this Gallo-Roman terra sigillata bowl, Dragendorff 27, attributed to the East Gaulish potter BOVDVS (Lavoye), from the private collector Jan Bakker, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Jan Bakker stated that the object had been in his collection since 2025.
According to the previous owner, it had previously formed part of the estate of a private collector in the Netherlands, who is stated to have assembled the collection in the 1960s–1970s.
No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.

Background Information:
This vessel is a Roman terra sigillata bowl of Dragendorff type 27, a well-known tableware form used throughout the Roman Empire for the serving and consumption of food and drink. Bowls of this type formed part of the standard repertoire of Roman domestic dining equipment and were used in both civilian and military contexts. Their fine red slip, carefully controlled form, and stamped bases reflect the highly organised ceramic industry that supplied the Roman table during the Imperial period.

The impressed maker’s stamp BODVSF is attributed to the potter BOVDVS, also referred to in specialist literature as Boudus II. Comparable stamps are known on forms such as Dragendorff 27 and Dragendorff 31, and are generally placed in the Hadrianic–Antonine period, approximately A.D. 140–170. The final letter F is commonly understood as an abbreviation of the Latin word fecit, meaning “made [this],” indicating the individual potter or workshop tradition behind the vessel. As with stamped sigillata, the attribution is based on established typological and epigraphic comparison.

This potter is primarily associated with the East Gaulish production centre of Lavoye, in present-day Meuse, France, while possible links in the literature have also been suggested to other workshops such as Mittelbronn and Sinzig. Lavoye was one of the major centres for the production of East Gaulish terra sigillata, where refined red-slipped ceramics were made on a large scale according to recognised forms and manufacturing standards. Such standardisation allowed these wares to circulate widely and to be recognised across different regions of the Roman world.

Within daily Roman life, terra sigillata occupied an important place as quality tableware suitable for both ordinary meals and more formal dining. It was not ceremonial ware, but part of a broader culture of presentation and consumption at the table. Its standardised forms and maker’s stamps reveal an interconnected economy in which specialist workshops produced goods for both regional and long-distance markets. Such vessels were traded across large distances, reaching regions such as present-day Germany and the Netherlands.

This bowl is therefore more than a functional ceramic vessel. It is a clear example of Roman provincial production, workshop identity, and commercial distribution in the north-western provinces of the Empire. The combination of a recognised Dragendorff form and an attributed potter’s stamp gives it particular typological and historical interest. It forms a tangible connection to the ancient world, in which objects of this kind played a practical role in daily use and reflected the organised craftsmanship of the Roman ceramic industry.