2018.1
Apulian Fish Plate
Artist
Artist Unidentified
Title
Apulian Fish Plate
Creation Date
ca. 360 - 350 BCE
Dimensions
1 3/4 x 7 9/16 in. (4.5 x 19.2 cm)
Object Type
ceramic
Medium and Support
terracotta
Credit Line
Museum Purchase, Adela Wood Smith Trust
Copyright
Public Domain
Accession Number
2018.1
The gently sloping floor between the rim and the central depression provides the circular canvas for the detailed illustrations depicting “living” maritime species. This fish plate is decorated with an octopus, a lophius (monkfish), an umbrina cirrosa (shi drum fish), a scallop shell, and two mussels. The fish appear to be swimming in a wine-dark black sea with the body of the lophius bending naturally as if in water. This impression is enhanced by the black waves that surround the depression in which the fish sauce would have been served.
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