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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1928.58.A
Title
Miniature Pitcher
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
6th century BCE-3rd century CE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Europe
Culture
Graeco-Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/304232

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Bronze
Technique
Cast and hammered
Dimensions
7.8 x 8.5 cm (3 1/16 x 3 3/8 in.)
Technical Details

Chemical Composition: XRF data from Tracer
Alloy: Bronze
Alloying Elements: copper, tin
Other Elements: lead, iron, antimony, arsenic
Comments: 1928.58.A and 1928.58.B have the same elements.

K. Eremin, January 2014

Technical Observations: The surface of this vessel is covered with green, tan, and some blue corrosion products and burial accretions; in a few areas, the shiny, smooth oxidized metal shows through where these materials have popped off. There are numerous losses, and some earlier repairs were done with an adhesive or resin in combination with fine strips of fiberglass fabric or Japanese paper. The vessel was raised out of one piece of metal. The walls are very fine—notably finer than the upper rim—and as a result are very fragile, especially due to corrosion. The fine incised decorative lines that encircle the vessel are clear, as are the concentric lines drawn on the underside after casting. Close examination also reveals unusual swaths of very fine parallel lines in some of the more metallic areas, which might reflect the microstructure of the metal. Some areas on the outer surface have thicker accretions. The inside of the vessel preserves a variety of corrosion formations as well as burial accretions. There is no evidence for the attachment of a handle, except perhaps the two thicker accretions near the bottom on one side, which could be the remains of joining material.

The formerly associated handle (1928.58.B) was cast in one piece. The handle would have been attached to a vessel using solder or some adhesive, as there are no holes or other evidence of mechanical joining using rivets. On the attachment plate, the remains of a modern adhesive and Japanese paper are stuck to thin, mineralized fragments of a vessel and lump of soil. The handle does not seem to have been joined to the vessel that it is currently paired with.


Francesca G. Bewer (submitted 2012)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Miss Susan M. L. Wales, gift; to the Fogg Art Museum, 1928.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Miss Susan M. L. Wales
Accession Year
1928
Object Number
1928.58.A
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

Published Catalogue Text: Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Bronzes at the Harvard Art Museums
This small, squat vessel has a flaring lip and flat bottom (1). The bottom is finished with two sets of raised concentric circles. The body, just below the lip, bears incised fine lines around the circumference. Below these lines, the body flares outward and then contracts down again to the bottom.

According to an archival photo, the vessel body and handle (1928.58.A and 1928.58.B) were combined when they arrived to the collection and were later disassembled.

NOTES:

1. Compare the general shape of S. Tassinari, Il vasellame bronzo di Pompei, Ministero per i beni culturali ed ambientali, Soprintendenza archeologica di Pompei 5 (Rome, 1993) no. 6517, pl. 253, type U2120.


Lisa M. Anderson

Subjects and Contexts

  • Ancient Bronzes

Related Objects

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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