Rights Holder: The Portable Antiquities Scheme
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VESSEL
Unique ID: IOW-16C188
Object type certainty: Certain
Workflow
status: Published 
A complete Roman cast copper-alloy mount (or handle) dating from 43-410 AD, in the form of a small figurine in the form of a figurine of a male banqueter.
Above the waistline the banqueter is naked and below the waistline the body is draped in a mantle which is represented by cast and incised lines. The figure is reclining to the left on his elbow with the right leg raised and the head facing forward. The facial features are vague and may have eroded and worn. Incised lines on the rear surface suggest that the banqueter is reclining on a couch. The base of the figurine has a rough surface but one small area is flat and smooth.
Viewing the figurine from above, or below, it has a curved profile, indicating perhaps, that it would have been attached to a curved object (see below).
This object is corroded and has traces of a dark green patina.
Height: 31.69mm; width:34.41; thickness: 10.50mm. Weight: 23.03g.
The figurine is similar in its pose to other examples and can be closely paralleled to one excavated at Usk (Webster 1995: 47-49) and recovered from a pre-Flavian context. Webster argues that the artistic treatment of the figure is deliberately archaic and inspired by Greek two-dimensional vessel mounts and believes the Usk figurine stood, with other figures, on the rim of a vessel associated with the serving of wine. A similar figure has been found in Richborough (Bushe-Fox 1949: 138).
Similar mounts have been recorded on the Portable Antiquities Scheme database, See finds: IOW-2F7DD1; NMGW-F4A3F6; SF-7149D5 and WMID-6553C1.
Notes:
Bushe-Fox, J. P., 1949. Fourth Report on the Excavations of the Roman Fort at Richborough, Kent London : Reports of the Research Committee of the Society of Antiquaries of London, pp138.
Manning, W.H., Price, J. and Webster, P., 1995. Report on the excavations at Usk 1965-1976. The Roman small finds Cardiff : University of Wales Press.
Find of note status
This is a find of note and has been designated: National importance
Class:
Mount
Sub class: Figurine
Subsequent actions
Current location of find: Finder
Subsequent action after recording: Returned to finder
Chronology
Broad period: ROMAN
Subperiod from: Early
Period from: ROMAN
Subperiod to: Late
Period to: ROMAN
Date from: Exactly AD 43
Date to: Exactly AD 410
Dimensions and weight
Quantity: 1
Height: 31.69 mm
Width: 34.41 mm
Thickness: 10.5 mm
Weight: 23.03 g
Discovery dates
Date(s) of discovery: Wednesday 21st March 2012
Personal details
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Other reference numbers
Other reference: IOW2012-5-38
Materials and construction
Primary material: Copper alloy
Manufacture method: Cast
Completeness: Complete
Spatial metadata
Region: South East (European Region)County or Unitary authority: Isle of Wight (Unitary Authority)
District: Isle of Wight (Unitary Authority)
To be known as: Isle of Wight
Spatial coordinates
Grid reference source: From finder
Unmasked grid reference accurate to a 100 metre square.
References cited
| Author | Publication Year | Title | Publication Place | Publisher | Pages | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bushe-Fox, J.P. | 1926 | First Report on the Excavation of the Roman Fort at Richborough, Kent | Oxford | Society of Antiquaries of London | 138 | ||
| Manning, W.H., Price, J. and Webster, P. | 1995 | Report on the excavations at Usk 1965-1976. The Roman small finds | Cardiff | University of Wales Press |
Similar objects
Find number: WMID-6553C1
Object type: VESSEL
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A worn and corroded incomplete cast copper-alloy mount of probable Roman date, quite possibly a decorative attachment for a vessel. The objec…
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Find number: SF-7149D5
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A copper-alloy reclining figurine of Roman date, that is most likely to have functioned as a vessel mount and represents a male banqueter. Ma…
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Find number: SF-B079B1
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An incomplete cast copper-alloy figurine that probably served as a vessel mount and is of Roman date. It is in the form of a reclining male f…
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Timeline of associated dates
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