Roman Leaf Bowl, Samian Ware

Details

This charming little red slip bowl has had barbotine slip decoration carefully piped around the rim in the shape of leaves. There was much excitement one summer during excavations at the Vindolanda Roman Fort when a near-complete bowl similar to this was discovered by a volunteer working on site. It was an extraordinary moment for the team of diggers to discover something that has lain untouched for around 2000 years and then to handle the almost perfect ancient bowl, feeling the beauty of the craftsmanship after all that time.  

This beautiful replica bowl has been crafted in the same style as the original to give it that authentic look and feel.  

A form of the iconic Samian Ware, the originals would have been made in Gaul before being sent out to all the corners of the Roman Empire, where Roman civilians and soldiers would have used them to serve food. 

Made in the style of form 35

Materials

Terracotta and red slip finish

Dimensions

Approx. 60mm high, 145mm diameter

Production

As with all my Museum Quality Replicas, we have made this pot, as the original would have been, entirely by hand from natural clay and using replicas of the types of tool that the ancient makers would have used. As each pot varies, you may not receive the same cup in the image, but you can be sure that your pot will be one of a kind due to the variations caused by the firing process. 

Health & Safety

This pot is a Museum Quality Replica made using the tools and techniques that ancient potters would have used during this era. As this is an unglazed pot with a porous surface, it will absorb some of the flavours during the cooking process or when used as food storage, which does add to the taste of future dishes. However, it does also mean that this pot does not meet modern Health and Safety standards, and therefore, we do not advise that you use it for cooking or storing foodstuffs. When ancient cooks used these pots, they relied on applying sufficient heat to the pot and contents to ensure that the heat killed all bacteria. Heating to over 70°C for at least 10 minutes would have killed most disease-causing bacteria, and temperatures of 100°C would do even more.  

Postage

All items are sent using a second class postal service; if you wish to have an item sent first class, please contact me for a quote. Many Thanks