Harvard Art Museums > 2011.456: Fragment of a Mold for a Bowl with Relief Decoration Tools and Equipment Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Fragment of a Mold for a Bowl with Relief Decoration (Cinnamus) , 2011.456,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Apr 26, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/339564. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 2011.456 People Cinnamus (135 - 180) Title Fragment of a Mold for a Bowl with Relief Decoration Classification Tools and Equipment Work Type mold Date mid 2nd Century Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe, Gaul Period Roman Imperial period, Middle Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/339564 Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta Technique Stamped Dimensions 8.8 cm (3 7/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Louis-Gabriel Bellon (1819-1899), Saint-Nicolas-les-Arras, France, and descendants, sold; [through auctioneer Jack-Philippe Ruellan, Vannes, France, April 4, 2009] to Charles Ede Limited, London; sold: to Harvard Art Museums 2011. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Marian H. Phinney Fund Accession Year 2011 Object Number 2011.456 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Fragment of a terracotta mold for making red-gloss ware bowls with relief decoration. The designs are stamped into the negative mold. Below an egg-and-dart pattern, the surface is subdivided by beaded lines. A semicircular wreath or garland is visible on the left; on the right is a winged female figure in a belted and flounced dress, standing frontally with the weight on her left leg and her head turned right. Holding a palm branch in one hand and a (laurel?) wreath in the other, she represents Victory. To her left runs the stamp of the mold maker Cinnamus: CINNAM[I]. The clay is relatively coarse, with a gray core and significant mica. Commentary Molds like this were used in pottery workshops across the Roman empire to fabricate fine tableware with relief decoration, elaborate red-gloss wares (terra sigillata/Samian ware) whose general appearance was inspired by precious metal vessels. Figures and ornaments were stamped into the interior of the mold and appeared in relief on the exterior of the bowls formed in it. The molded bowls were removed when their clay was almost dry and had shrunk sufficiently; rim and foot were thrown on the potter's wheel. Mold makers often stamped their products. The manufacturer Cinnamus, whose name is largely preserved on this fragment, was active in central Gaul, in the area of modern Lezoux, France, in the Antonine Period, from c. 135 to 180 CE. At this time, central Gaul was one of the main production centers of red-gloss pottery. Pottery associated with Cinnamus has been found in far-flung areas of the empire, suggesting that his designs were very popular. The stamp on this fragment would have appeared rectograde in the finished product. As the same is true for other stamps, their primary function may have been to sign the mold itself. Publication History Charles Ede Limited, Catalogue 184, auct. cat. (London, 2011), Cat. no. 62, illustrated. Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
