VESSEL

An incomplete Roman copper-alloy looped handle escutcheon plate attachment for a vessel (c. AD 43-409).

This escutcheon is moulded and convex at the front and mostly concave at the rear. Viewed from the top it is curvilinear to accommodate the body of the copper-alloy vessel, to which it would have originally been soldered.

The moulded design at the front is integral with the plate and was cast in one piece.

The single loop forming the handle at the top is incomplete due to a transverse break. The surviving part is 'D'-shaped in cross-section, flat at the rear.

The symmetrical design is of a female head facing forward set upon an integral plate in the form of a stylised vine leaf. The head, in high relief, is sub-circular in plan and has an elaborate hair style. It has a parting at the centre from which the hair flares outwards towards three further partings at each side. Each eye is 'almond' shaped with a central circular pit representing the pupil. The right eye is slightly smaller than the left eye and the pupils may have contained decorative material. The nose is triangular in plan and seems to be proportionally large. The mouth is largely horizontal with a pronounced lower lip. As viewed, the left side of the mouth curls down slightly. The cheeks and the chin are rounded. Beneath the cheeks and chin there is line of evenly spaced punched sub-circular dots/pits. These extend to the bottom of the hairline on each side. The stylised vine leaf has thirteen blades varying in size and length and all of them are pointed. Between each blade and also on most of the blades themselves, incised line are perhaps emulating veins.

The rear is flat around the perimeter and the rest is concave with the concavity deeper at the centre. At the rear there is an uneven off white deposit which could be the remains of corroded solder.

This handle is green at the front with flecks of a darker green patina. The rear face is coarse and the break is old.

Height: 49.2mm; width: 50.8mm; thickness: 11.0mm; height of head: 28.6mm; width of head: 28.0mm; width of loop/handle stub: 14.1mm; maximum thickness of leaf at the top: 3.4mm; maximum thickness of leaf at the bottom: 2.3mm. Weight: 37.01g.

From the curvature it is estimated that the vessel must have had a diameter of c. 250.0mm.

Similar handle escutcheon plate attachments have been recorded on The Portable Antiquities Scheme database. See finds: KENT-409D5D; LVPL-A627B9; LANCUM-E0545A; NMS134; NMS-88DBA4; SF-2B9C68 and YORYM-EB4804.

Also, see: WMID-0503C1.

For similar attachments, but with single loops, see Tassinari 1975 nos. 125-7 (Gallia supplément XXIX).

A mount in the form of a female face on an escutcheon plate in the form of a vine leaves was discovered at the Roman fort at Castell Collen in Wales.

Tassinari, S., 1975. La Vaisselle de Bronze, Romaine at Provinciale, au Musee des Antiquites Nationales Paris : Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique,, 125-7 (Gallia supplément XXIX).