Getty Museum

Lead-Glazed Skyphos

Date

50 B.C.–A.D. 50

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Roman

Department

Vessels

Institution

Getty Museum

Garlands of pinecones, a popular decoration on lead-glazed skyphoi or cup of this period, decorate this one. Masks of Silenos hang on the sides under its handles. The mold-made decoration on the exterior of the skyphos was meant to imitate the repoussé decoration of vessels made from precious metals, such as gold and silver, and the form of the handles derives from the same source. A revival or rediscovery of an ancient Near Eastern pottery technique that had been out of use for centuries, lead-glazed pottery began to be produced on the coast of modern Turkey in the first century B.C. From there, production spread to other areas and continued for several centuries, but this type of pottery was never common. Lead-glazed pottery was created as a less costly alternative to vessels made from precious metals.

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