Roman Pottery: Mould

Inv. No.: 85.087
 
The fragment represents about one-fifth part of the original whole, and has a heavy flange around the outer wall for ease of handling. It is of rather soft pottery fabric, but the impressed details are still very crisp, showing clearly the dog's collar and claws, and the bird's feathers. It could have been little used before breakage. The upper border of the usual ovolo pattern has the units impressed in pairs, instead of singly as normal. The base-line has a foliate wreath running around just above the usual incised line. Between these borders the fragment contains the forepart of two hounds chasing a hare, a bird, a tree (with an extra branch added by hand for the bird to sit on), a rosette and a curved ornament transversely ribbed (a worm?).

Comparanda:
C.Johns, Arretine and Samian Pottery, British Museum,1971,pl.7b.