Megarian Ware Bowl (Wilmington, DE)

Megarian Ware Bowl

Megarian Ware Bowl CULTURE REGION OF ORIGIN Hellenistic Greece or western Asia Minor. possibly of Central Italian manufacture. DATE 2nd 1st Century BCE DIMENSIONS 12.9 cm (5.1 in.) wide at the rim. DESCRIPTION A Megarian shallow bowl. The fabric is very fine and hard with a pinkish hue covered all over in a dark slip that ranges from dark brown to black. The decorated outer surface features a band of small eight-pointed stars enclosed by raised borders followed by a wide band of repeating ivy and rosette clusters and a final band of overlapping laurel leaves emanating from a central disc with rosette at the center that serves as the vessel s base. Expertly reassembled from just 2 large fragments with very minor chips to the rim and some rubbing of the slip otherwise intact. A large and impressive example of the type. PROVENANCE Ex Royal Athena Galleries New York. COMPARISONS For a closely related example see the Museum of Fine Arts Boston Accession Number 95.59 utilizing very similar decorative elements and another Accession Number 92.2612 with identical fabric and glaze said to have been found at Megara. For an excellent review of Megarian ware and a discussion of its role as a predecessor to later Sigillata wares see John W. Hayes Handbook of Mediterranean Pottery British Museum Press 1997 pages 40-41 Visit our website at www.clioancientart.com to see many more fine antiquities in all price ranges.