Beaker with a Dog Chasing a Hare

Place of OriginGermany, reportedly from Rhineland

Date2nd century CE

DimensionsH: 7 1/2 in. (19.4 cm); W: 5 1/4 in. ; D: 5 1/4 in. ; Diam (lip): 3 1/8 in. ; Diam (foot): 2 3/8 in. (6.1 cm); Max Diam: 5 1/32 in. (12.8 cm)

MediumEarthenware with applied slip decoration.

ClassificationCeramics

Credit LinePurchased with funds from the Libbey Endowment, Gift of Edward Drummond Libbey

Object number

1983.14

On View

Toledo Museum of Art (2445 Monroe Street), Gallery, 02, Classic

DescriptionA tall, pear-shaped earthenware beaker resting on a cylindrical foot. The surface is coated in a black slip. The decorative scheme is organized in horizontal zones; the central frieze features a relief scene of a dog chasing a hare, surrounded by scrolling floral vines. This relief was created by applying a slip of diluted clay to the surface (similar to piping icing) before firing. This central scene is framed above and below by horizontal bands of rouletted decoration.

Label TextShowcasing the blending of various cultures that went on within the diverse Roman Empire, this beaker features a mixture of Germanic, Celtic, and Roman skill and design. The technique itself was adopted from German potters and involves carefully applying a slip of diluted clay to the surface of a vessel, much like icing a cake today. The floral scrolls that decorate and fill the scene are derived from pre-Roman Celtic works, while the scene depicted—a hare being chased by a dog around the vessel—was a prominent theme on Roman vessels because animal hunts often symbolized courage and protection.Comparative ReferencesSee also Charleston, Robert, Roman Pottery, London, 1955, pp. 34-35, figs. 20, 21.

cf. Freiburg, Germay, Galerie Günter Puhze, Kunst der Antike, Katalog 6, 1985, no. 308.