Roman Terra Chiara encrier - 62 mm

"Roman Terra Chiara Inkwell
Culture / Period: Roman Imperial
Date / Period: 1st–2nd century A.D.
Material: Terra chiara pottery
Dimensions: 62 mm
Condition: Good condition, with age-related surface wear, deposits and loss of surface finish consistent with prolonged burial. The form is well preserved.
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Provenance information:
Object Registration ID: 994
The current owner (S.N.J. S.) purchased the inkwell from E. vd W. in Grave, the Netherlands.
The previous owner, E. vd W. from Grave, stated that the object had been in his collection since the 1990s.
According to the previous owner, the object had previously been part of a private collection in the Netherlands since the 1990s.
No further information concerning the earlier ownership history of the object was available from the previous owner.
Background Information:
This Roman pottery inkwell is a practical object associated with writing and administration during the early Imperial period. Its compact cylindrical body has a broad, inward-sloping upper surface surrounding a relatively narrow central opening. This form provided access for a writing implement while helping to reduce accidental spilling and evaporation of the ink.
Inkwells were used by scribes, officials, merchants, soldiers and other literate members of Roman society. Together with reed pens or metal styli and suitable writing surfaces, they formed part of the equipment required for correspondence, accounts, contracts and administrative records. Writing was essential to the organisation of the Roman Empire, from military and governmental administration to commercial transactions and private communication.
Pottery examples offered a practical alternative to inkwells made from bronze, glass and other materials. The regular profile and carefully formed opening demonstrate specialised ceramic production within the established traditions of Roman pottery manufacture. Terra chiara and related fine wares circulated through extensive regional and interregional trade networks, supplying settlements, military communities and urban centres throughout different parts of the Roman world.
Dating to the 1st–2nd century A.D., the object belongs to a period of major territorial expansion and consolidation under the early Roman Empire. Small functional objects such as this illustrate the everyday mechanisms behind that complex society. This inkwell forms a tangible connection to Roman written culture and to the individuals for whom writing, record-keeping and communication were part of daily life."