VESSEL

A ceramic sherd of a Roman Dressel 37 decorated Samian bowl, c. late 1st-2nd century AD. The sherd consists of a trapezoidal fragment of the bowl, without rim or base segments and both glazed surfaces are reddish-orange in colour with pinkish-red coloured clay at all breaks. The outer face of the sherd has been decoraed elaborately with what seems to be a multiple person scene; one foot is seen slightly apart from two others and facing the other set in profile, whereas out of the two which seem to belong together, the reverse of one leg has been carefully moulded, with incised lines emphasizing the calf muscle and knee sinews, but missing the foot, which may be awkwardly turned to face away from the viewer. The other leg of the set is less carefully moulded and seems to have been created larger than the other as it is meant to be at the forefront of the scene depicted, wtih a larger calf and an awkward angular crook at the ankle and circular 'foot', which suggests again the heel and that the foot was turned away from the viewer. The affect is that the individual is facing away from the outer surface of the bowl and lifting one leg slightly, while another person seems to look on. This is possibly an erotic scene. Below the legs, a decorative raised edge curves slightly upwards and is decorated with angled incised lines, creating a beaded effect; below this a wider band is follwed by two deeply incised lines, which create a collared appearance to the lower segment of the bowl. The interior of the bowl is undecorated. The sherd measures 32.77 mm long,24.47 mm wide, 6.38 mm thick and weighs 7.38 grams.