Arretine-Ware Footed Bowl with Winged Cupids (Erotes) Playing Musici
| Culture | Roman |
|---|---|
| Title | Arretine-Ware Footed Bowl with Winged Cupids (Erotes) Playing Musici |
| Date | 100 BCE–100 CE |
| Medium | Terracotta and glaze |
| Dimensions | Overall: 7 1/8 in. (18.1 cm) |
| Credit Line | Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University |
| Accession Number | 79.9.6 |
| This artwork is currently on view. | |
The large rounded bowl has a wide mouth and a slightly raised, narrow foot. The exterior of the bowl has a wide band of relief decoration that includes winged children playing musical instruments and candelabra.
Arrentine ware is a specific type of red-gloss pottery that became popular in the first century BCE. Named for one of its major production centers, Arretium in southern Italy, these pots are also referred to asterra sigillata and Samian ware. This type of pottery recalled metal vessels with engraved decoration, relief panels, and stamped elements, but the overall effect was not imitative. The unusual qualities of color and finish as a ceramic product seem to have fueled the appeal of Arrentine ware for the luxury market.
Many vessels were signed with a stamp that identified the artist (or master of the workshop). This footed bowl is marked in this way in the center of the bowl interior, but only a portion of stamp (AT...) is legible. The decoration centers on winged cupids playing musical instruments, a popular subject in the Augustan period.
Provenance research is ongoing for this and many other items in the Eskenazi Museum of Art permanent collection. For more information about the provenance of this artwork, please contact the department curator with specific questions.
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"Arretine-Ware Footed Bowl with Winged Cupids (Erotes) Playing Musici | Collections Online." Collections Online. Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art, Indiana University, 2025. https://artmuseum.indiana.edu/collections-online/browse/object.php?number=79.9.6