Roman British Pottery Cup

$505.48

An elongated Roman Britain-found pottery cup featuring a bulbous body with a long cylindrical neck. The body tapers to rest on a small foot. A black slip covers the underlying light orange clay.

Date: Circa 2nd - 4th century AD
Provenance: Ex private Cambridge collection, found in Cambridgeshire.
Condition: Fair condition; a few cracks consolidated around body; rim a little ragged; otherwise complete.

SOLD

SKU: AH-641 Category:

Found in Cambridgeshire this cup bears characteristics to the Nene Valley ware produced in the area. Castor ware was some of the finer quality ware produced in Roman Britain and the clay base would have largely been a pale colour with a dark slip applied on top. Within the Nene Valley, due to the low levels of iron in the surrounding clay, when fired, the ware produced is light in colour. The slip used for Castor ware would have been applied using a clay with substantially more iron – creating a contrast in the clay – but this was not native to the area. Castor ware was produced from the 2nd century onwards and local craftsman were influenced by Rhineland imports. The decline of imported pottery meant that local craftsmanship flourished.

Weight 206 g
Dimensions H 15.5 cm
Country

Culture

Pottery and Porcelain

Region