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Fish Plate

A work made of terracotta, red-figure.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of terracotta, red-figure.

Date:

350-325 BCE

Artist:

Attributed to the Hippocamp Group
Greek; Canosa, Apulia, Italy

About this artwork

This footed plate was made to serve succulent morsels of grilled seafood, like the fish that are painted on its surface. Greece and Italy are peninsulas projecting into seas brimming with marine life. A primary source of protein, seafood was a basic staple of the ancient Mediterranean diet; it remains so today. Keen observers of their subjects, ancient vase painters so accurately captured the shapes and markings of the fish they depicted that it is possible to identify most of them by species. On this example, three slightly different, pleasingly plump bream with bright white details appear to swim after one another. A running wave pattern around the central concavity, with a gently sloped floor for collecting juices or serving sauces, recalls the sea, the source of the bounty.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Greek

Title

Fish Plate

Place

Canosa di Puglia (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

350 BCE–325 BCE

Medium

terracotta, red-figure

Dimensions

5 × 21.5 × 21.5 cm (2 × 8 1/2 × 8 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Gift of Emily Dickinson Sae Jin Vermeule

Reference Number

2002.543

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/160172/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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