Harvard Art Museums > 1960.603: Spool Tools and Equipment Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Spool , 1960.603,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Dec 25, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/290860. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1960.603 Title Spool Classification Tools and Equipment Work Type loom weight Date 400 BCE-400 CE Period Roman Imperial period Culture Roman Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/290860 Physical Descriptions Medium Terracotta Technique Carved Dimensions 6.1 x 4.5 x 4.3 cm (2 3/8 x 1 3/4 x 1 11/16 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of David M. Robinson Accession Year 1960 Object Number 1960.603 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description Dumbbell-shaped, unglazed spool carved from terracotta. The two ends are rounded and flare out, while the middle tapers inwards. The ends are flat on the exterior, and there are numerous white inclusions in the clay. This spool currently has modern blue thread wrapped around it to show how it would have been used in antiquity. Commentary LIVE LIKE A ROMAN: DAILY LIFE OBJECT COLLECTION Weaving in the ancient world was the primary duty of women. It was one of the main ways in which a household could be self-sufficient. Women wove clothing, cushions and covers for wooden furniture, and wall coverings. Wool was the most common material used, followed by linen. If a family had its own sheep, they could produce their own wool. However, flax and linen had to be imported from elsewhere when there was a lack of fertile land. Silk and cotton were both rare materials and were not often used for clothing. To prepare wool for weaving, it had to be cleaned and dyed with mineral or vegetable compounds. The wool was then spun with a distaff and spindle, preparing the yarn. Yarn was woven into other threads hanging from the top of the loom with weights at the bottom to keep them taut. This is called a warp-weighted loom and was very popular in ancient Greece, as seen on numerous red and black figure vases. [Jessica Pesce 8/18/2010] Publication History Fogg Art Museum, The David Moore Robinson Bequest of Classical Art and Antiquities, A Special Exhibition, exh. cat., Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, 1961), p. 41, no. 367 Subjects and Contexts Roman Domestic Art Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
