Ancient Roman Terra Sigillata Plate vessel fragment with maker's mark (No Reserve Price)

ITEM: Plate vessel fragment with maker's mark
MATERIAL: Terra Sigillata
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 2nd - 3rd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 215 mm x 115 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex German private collection, acquired between 1980 - 1990

Comes with Certificate of Authenticity and Export license.

If you bid outside the European Union and win the item, we will have to apply for an export licence for your country and shipping will take 3 to 5 weeks.

Terra sigillata, a Latin term meaning "stamped earth" or "clay bearing little images" (sigilla referring to the maker's stamp), is a specific type of fine, mass-produced Roman tableware popular from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE. Its distinguishing feature is its bright, characteristic red or orange color and a desirable glossy surface slip that mimics the appearance of metal vessels. This glossy finish was achieved not by a true glass glaze, but by applying a thin layer of extremely refined, colloidal clay particles, rich in iron, onto the leather-hard vessel. The slip would then sinter (partially melt and fuse) during the firing process at temperatures around 950-1050º , resulting in a coating that was largely waterproof and durable.

Terra sigillata was highly standardized and often decorated in relief. Much of the fine, decorated ware was created using molds, where stamps (poinçons) bearing a wide repertoire of figurative scenes—such as mythological stories, hunting scenes, or floral patterns—were pressed into the mold's inner surface. This process allowed for the rapid, mass production of complex designs. The earliest and highest quality production center was Arretium (modern Arezzo, Italy), producing "Arretine Ware." Following its decline, production shifted to Gaul (France and Germany) at major sites like La Graufesenque and Lezoux, where it was known as "Samian Ware." Later workshops in Hispania and North Africa extended the style's reach, ensuring its widespread availability across the Roman Empire.

Terra sigillata fragments are exceptionally valuable to archaeologists, serving as a key "index fossil" or chronological marker for dating Roman sites. This is due to the ware's widespread distribution, standardized forms (often classified by typologies like Dragendorff forms), and the common practice of potters stamping their names or workshop marks (sigilla) on the vessels' bases. The production periods of these distinct potter's stamps and specific vessel forms (like the Dragendorff 27 cup or 37 bowl) are often precisely dated, sometimes down to a decade. Therefore, finding a stamped fragment allows archaeologists to date the layer of soil (stratum) in which it was found, providing critical insight into the chronology, economy, trade networks, and degree of Romanization in a particular region.