1960.603: Spool

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

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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