Roman
Relief Plaque
INV-1095
RomanEarly 1st century
Relief Plaque
Roman →imperial (roman)earthenwareceramics
Date
Early 1st century
Medium
terracotta
Dimensions
58.8 × 46.9 × 5 cm (23 1/4 × 18 3/8 × 2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Katherine K. Adler Memorial Fund; purchased with funds provided by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Bro, the Classical Art Society, and Mr. and Mrs. Walter Alexander
During the early Roman Empire, terra-cotta relief plaques were a popular form of interior decoration for houses, public baths, and tombs. The mold-made reliefs, which could be rapidly reproduced to create a decorative frieze, reflect an interest in older Greek styles. Here female temple attendants, whose costumes and hairstyles recall fashions worn at least 200 years earlier by the Greek occupants of southern Italy and Sicily, kneel before a tall incense burner, upon which they place an offering. The scene is bordered by an egg-and-dart pattern above and a lotus pattern below. The presence of four nailholes indicates that these panels
were likely affixed to a wall.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
