ITEM: Plate MATERIAL: Pottery CULTURE: Roman PERIOD: 2nd - 4th Century A.D DIMENSIONS: 32 mm x 195 mm diameter CONDITION: Good condition PROVENANCE: Ex Dutch private collection, acquired between 1970 - 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. Roman plates, generally referred to as patinae or lanx (for larger platters), were a staple of dining across all social strata of the Roman Empire. Like other Roman vessels, they were manufactured in an immense range of materials, sizes, and quality, reflecting the diner's wealth and the occasion's formality. The vast majority of the population used simple, flat-bottomed plates made from coarse or fine terracotta (pottery). These everyday dishes were used to serve the main portions of a meal, such as meat, vegetables, and the ubiquitous puls (a thick grain porridge), forming the basis of domestic Roman culinary life. For the elite, plates transitioned from utilitarian objects to expressions of status and wealth. The most coveted plates were those made from high-quality materials, primarily silver and, notably, the fine red ceramic known as Terra Sigillata. Silver plates were often elaborately decorated with embossed scenes from mythology or history and were reserved for formal convivia (banquets), sometimes serving as a display of inherited wealth. Terra Sigillata plates, while ceramic, were highly prized for their glossy surface and molded relief decoration, often designed with slightly raised rims and flat bottoms ideal for individual servings of sauced dishes. These plates, standardized and traded across the Empire, represent the Roman appreciation for both function and aesthetic elegance in tableware. Roman plates offer unique insights for archaeologists and art historians, as their flat surfaces provided an ideal canvas for decoration and inscription. Large platters, especially, often depicted complex figurative scenes, providing valuable evidence of Roman mythology, daily life, and military themes. Furthermore, the base of many plates often bears the potter's stamp (a sigillum), which allows scholars to date the object precisely, identify the manufacturing workshop, and trace trade routes from major centers like Arezzo or Gaul. Thus, these seemingly simple objects are not only essential artifacts for reconstructing Roman diet and dining customs but also crucial chronological markers and records of ancient artistic production and commercial activity.