DOI Artikel:
Grzegrzółka, Sabina: Relief ("Megarian") Bowls in the National Museum in Warsaw
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18950#0115
2. Inv. no 198933 (ill. 2)
Height 7,3 cm, diameter 13,3 cm, rim diameter 12,8 cm, medallion's
diameter 2,8 cm. Orange clay, in some places light-brown, mat and varied
glaze: various shades of brown darkening almost toward black. State of
preservation: a hole in the belly between the lower and middle friezes of
decoration; surface destroyed with many flakes and chips.
A broad, Iow, medium size bowl with a poorly separated bottom and a rim
slightly inclined inside. Except for a smali difference in height, the bowl's
shape as well as the ąuality and colour of both clay and glaze are similar to
those of the above described object (inv. no. 198565). The bottom is
surrounded by a thin ring and decorated with a rosette of six petals bent as
if due to whirling motion (“a whirling rosette”). In the lower part of the walls
we find decoration of flower calyx consisting of two types of lancet-like
leaves, narrower and broader, divided by a wavy Stern crowned with a
flower bud arranged in the seąuence 4 + 4 + 8. The leaves have a central rib
marked with a double thin linę with indentation on both of its sides and along
the side edges. There is a broad frieze of figural decoration on the middle part
of the wali: 11 rabbits jumping to the left in a single file, separated with a
dotted ornament looking like a large bunch of grapes (9 items). It was madę
by hand rather than a stamp (or a used stamp). As the decoration of this part
was not arranged very neatly there was no space for next two bunches of
grapes, even though the distance between separate elements is not identical.
Furthermore, some elements are placed higher, others lower. The decoration
is crowned with a narrow frieze of waves (to the right). Separate friezes are
divided by distinct rings. As we have already pointed out, the object has many
features analogical to those of the bowl inv. no. 198565, which turns our
attention to the Monogram ^ Workshop. Therefore, it should be established
whether the used ornamental elements confirm this assumption. The object's
State of preservation constitutes a serious problem, limiting our ability to
analyse its decoration.
A “whirling rosette”, usually associated with ornament of Macedonian type,
decorates the bottom and fills out the semicircular fields on the walls. The bowl
from the VogeH's collection23and several fragments from Delos produced in the
Monogram ® Workshop (series XXI, D)24 25 may serve as examples. A “whirling
rosette” has most often five narrow petals, whereas on the Warsaw bowl we see
a rosette with six thicker, morę tangible petals. Among the materiał from Delos
there is also a fragment decorated with a middle frieze of “whirling” rosettes,
attributed to the Workshop of Gray Vases {Atelier des vases gris)1' but analogies
to other ornamental elements applied on our bowl cannot be found.
As far as the floral calyx is concerned, all its elements can be found
separately on the fragments from the Workshop of Beautiful Medusas
23 Zahn, op. cit., p. 64 and 67, cat. no. 24.
24 Laumonier, op. cit., pl. 45, cat. nos 4328, 4335, 4303.
25 Ibid.., pl. 21, cat. no. 551.
113
Height 7,3 cm, diameter 13,3 cm, rim diameter 12,8 cm, medallion's
diameter 2,8 cm. Orange clay, in some places light-brown, mat and varied
glaze: various shades of brown darkening almost toward black. State of
preservation: a hole in the belly between the lower and middle friezes of
decoration; surface destroyed with many flakes and chips.
A broad, Iow, medium size bowl with a poorly separated bottom and a rim
slightly inclined inside. Except for a smali difference in height, the bowl's
shape as well as the ąuality and colour of both clay and glaze are similar to
those of the above described object (inv. no. 198565). The bottom is
surrounded by a thin ring and decorated with a rosette of six petals bent as
if due to whirling motion (“a whirling rosette”). In the lower part of the walls
we find decoration of flower calyx consisting of two types of lancet-like
leaves, narrower and broader, divided by a wavy Stern crowned with a
flower bud arranged in the seąuence 4 + 4 + 8. The leaves have a central rib
marked with a double thin linę with indentation on both of its sides and along
the side edges. There is a broad frieze of figural decoration on the middle part
of the wali: 11 rabbits jumping to the left in a single file, separated with a
dotted ornament looking like a large bunch of grapes (9 items). It was madę
by hand rather than a stamp (or a used stamp). As the decoration of this part
was not arranged very neatly there was no space for next two bunches of
grapes, even though the distance between separate elements is not identical.
Furthermore, some elements are placed higher, others lower. The decoration
is crowned with a narrow frieze of waves (to the right). Separate friezes are
divided by distinct rings. As we have already pointed out, the object has many
features analogical to those of the bowl inv. no. 198565, which turns our
attention to the Monogram ^ Workshop. Therefore, it should be established
whether the used ornamental elements confirm this assumption. The object's
State of preservation constitutes a serious problem, limiting our ability to
analyse its decoration.
A “whirling rosette”, usually associated with ornament of Macedonian type,
decorates the bottom and fills out the semicircular fields on the walls. The bowl
from the VogeH's collection23and several fragments from Delos produced in the
Monogram ® Workshop (series XXI, D)24 25 may serve as examples. A “whirling
rosette” has most often five narrow petals, whereas on the Warsaw bowl we see
a rosette with six thicker, morę tangible petals. Among the materiał from Delos
there is also a fragment decorated with a middle frieze of “whirling” rosettes,
attributed to the Workshop of Gray Vases {Atelier des vases gris)1' but analogies
to other ornamental elements applied on our bowl cannot be found.
As far as the floral calyx is concerned, all its elements can be found
separately on the fragments from the Workshop of Beautiful Medusas
23 Zahn, op. cit., p. 64 and 67, cat. no. 24.
24 Laumonier, op. cit., pl. 45, cat. nos 4328, 4335, 4303.
25 Ibid.., pl. 21, cat. no. 551.
113