Ancient Roman Pottery Skyphos (No reserve price)

ITEM: Skyphos
MATERIAL: Pottery
CULTURE: Roman
PERIOD: 1st - 3rd Century A.D
DIMENSIONS: 60 mm x 135 mm
CONDITION: Good condition
PROVENANCE: Ex American private collection, acquired between 1970 - 2000

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 pottery encompasses an enormous variety of ceramic vessels, fundamentally divided into fine wares (tableware) and coarse wares (utilitarian items). The most famous fine ware is Terra Sigillata (or Samian Ware), characterized by a distinctive, glossy red-slipped surface and made in standard shapes like plates (patinae), shallow dishes, and small cups (calices). Mass-produced using molds, particularly in centers like Arretium (Italy) and later in Gaul and North Africa, Terra Sigillata allowed Romans across the empire to have access to sophisticated and standardized tableware, often decorated with mythological scenes, gladiatorial fights, or floral patterns in low relief. Its widespread distribution makes it a crucial artifact for dating archaeological sites and tracking Roman trade networks.

The vast majority of Roman pottery comprised coarse wares, which were essential for cooking, everyday serving, and long-term storage. These functional vessels were often made locally from heat-resistant clay and include a range of forms, such as the large cooking pots (ollae or caccabi), frying pans (patellae), and simple bowls. A particularly important coarse ware vessel was the mortarium, a sturdy, shallow bowl with a thick, overhanging rim and a gritty interior surface. The mortarium was indispensable for grinding herbs, spices, and other ingredients, demonstrating the Roman adoption of new, complex culinary practices across the provinces.

Beyond the kitchen and the dining table, Roman potters produced highly specialized vessels critical to trade and domestic life. The two-handled amphora was the ultimate transport container, designed with a characteristic pointed base for stability when packed tightly in the ballast of ships. Different shapes of amphorae were specialized for specific commodities like Spanish olive oil, North African grain, or wine. For domestic or farm storage, enormous, globular jars called dolia were used to ferment wine or store bulk goods, sometimes reaching over two meters in height. This immense variety—from tiny perfume bottles (balsamaria) to massive storage jars—highlights pottery's central role in enabling the daily life, commerce, and agricultural system of the Roman Empire.