Roman red-slip plate

3D Model

Roman red-slip plate with dots and strokes piped onto the surface in barbotine technique

Traces of fingermarks on the underside are evidence that the plate was dipped into the glaze rather than painted.

Romans appeared to have preferred simpler forms of decoration to the ancient Greek, whose cups and bowls and dishes were often elaborately painted. The preferred mode of decoration in the Roman world was through the application of decorative touches in the same material, and in therefore in the same colour, as the pot itself.

1st century AD

Part of the ANU Classics Collection.

3D scanning by Ricky Vuckovic