Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: iron, arsenic
K. Eremin, January 2014
Technical Observations: The patina of 1992.7 is mostly dark red with areas of green and blue. Several areas of bright metal are preserved. The surface is worn from use, obscuring the details of the punched and incised decoration in many areas. Protected areas around and under the handle are much better preserved. Areas of bright metal, especially under the rim, appear to be completely preserved and have no corrosion. There is a 7-mm hole and a 9-mm crack near the bottom edge of the vessel.
Hammer marks are visible on much of the interior and under the rim. A 3-mm center punch mark at the bottom indicates 1992.7 was hand raised. The handle on 1992.7 is solid cast. It was attached with a lead solder that is visible where it meets a notch cut into the rim. There is probably solder residue on the other two vessels, but it is obscured by corrosion products and adhesive. The flat, pointed decoration on the handles of 1920.44.2 and 1920.44.101 may have been made by hammering this area down (that is, by cold working), but the handles are otherwise cast. The decorations on 1992.7, including the Silenus attachment plate and other decorations on the handle and on the vessel body, are very worn from use. The face is probably cast, but the beads along the handle appear to have been formed by cold working in a similar manner to those at the rim. The guilloche bands on the body of 1992.7 were made by tracing a fine rounded point over the surface, probably with a lightweight hammer. Pointed punch marks are also part of the pattern. The beaded lines separating the braids were made using punches with a semicircular tip. None of the surface decorations of 1992.7 are visible on the interior. The thickness of its sides ranges from 0.5 to 1.5 mm, and the rim is 3 mm thick at its maximum.
Henry Lie (submitted 2002)
