Fragment from the Base of a Bowl
12th-13th century
Medium
Glazed terracotta
Dimensions
H.: 5 cm (2 in.); At widest point: W.: 9 cm (3 1/2 in.)
Classification
fragment
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
92537
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Fragments of Byzantine pottery preserve decorative motifs that were placed on the base of each pot’s interior. They represent a range of geometric and abstract floral motifs - such as the vine-like twisting forms encircled on this fragment- that were created by cutting through the white slip, or glaze, to reveal the red earthenware beneath. This technique of engraved slipware is known as sgraffitto. Color washes in a range of greens and browns were then placed over the incised decoration. First ...
About the Artist
Byzantine
"Byzantine" is the collective attribution given to anonymous artists working within the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, whose creations spanned from the 4th to the 15th centuries, primarily in Constantinople and its cultural sphere. These masters produced a vast body of art that defined an era, with museums like the Walters Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago cataloging numerous works un...