Code: 12359
This is an ancient Roman Samian pottery plate, Terra Sigillata, with a potter stamp. This plate is remarkably intact with no cracks or restoration. Such Samian pottery was made in Gaul and was extremely popular among the elite tableware of the 1st and 2nd century AD; I have excavated and recovered many fragments of Samian ware over the years, but very rarely have I had the privilege of handling an intact piece of this size and quality. The central boss is decorated with a roulette pattern, simple yet elegant for a piece of this size. The maker's marks appear to read as CELIVS---WSP but are worn in places.
OBJECT: Plate
CULTURE: Roman
DATE: 2nd century AD
MATERIAL: Terra Sigillata (Samian) pottery
SIZE: 21.7cm diameter x 5cm tall
WEIGHT: 716 grams
PROVENANCE: From an old collection D.S (Amsterdam), a former Dutch estate before 1980, previously acquired on the European art market in the 1960-1970s. FO: probably the Netherlands.
