Ceramics home: Roman fineware.

Roman fineware

For eating and drinking, Roman Londoners used pottery with a much better finish than contemporary coarsewares. Made from more refined clay, these finewares were often coated with colourful slips. Painted or trailed clay designs (barbotine) were frequently added before firing. The Museum's fineware collection is large, illustrating many different styles.

Samian or metalwork often influenced the design of finewares. Some potters made samian-type bowls that were black rather than red (see London ware). Others produced distinctive flagons and pans that were sprinkled with gold-coloured mica so as to gleam like copper (see Local Mica-dusted wares).

Many fineware factories concentrated on beakers and flagons, shapes that were seldom produced in samian. Globular beakers, tapering to a narrow mouth, were especially popular from the late 2nd century onwards. They were richly decorated with mottos and floral or animal scenes.

In the 1st and 2nd centuries, finewares were mostly imported from specialised factories in Gaul or Germany. Later, London was supplied by British industries that often produced coarsewares as well. Oxfordshire, for instance, supplied white mortaria alongside red tablewares that extended the samian tradition into the 4th century.

Featured types

Central Gaulish and Rhenish wares (43 - 410)

London wares (43 - 410)

Local Mica-dusted wares (43 - 410)

Lyon and other first century imported wares (43 - 410)

Colchester wares (43 - 410)

Nene Valley wares (43 - 410)

Related objects

There are 291 related objects.

<Previous  pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13   Next >

12360d dish.	12360f dish.	14863l dish.	21904 dish.
15004b dish. Roman; late 1st-2nd century	14986 dish. Roman; mid 1st-mid 2nd century	14302 flagon.	14307 flagon.
14803 flagon.	18797 flagon.	3043a jar.	18387 jar. Roman
18388/2 jar. Roman	89.3/34 jar. Roman	15187 jar. Roman	A28541/9:74 jar. Roman; mid 1st-early 2nd century
354 jar. Roman; mid 1st-early 2nd century	14298 jar or flask; narrow-necked jar or flask. Roman; late 1st-mid 2nd century	14305b lid. Roman	14305k lid. Roman
12697* mortarium. Roman	14802 pedestal base.	14863f plate.	14863a plate.

<Previous  pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13   Next >