Published Attic Fish-Plate of the Alcácer do Sal Painter

Culture: Greek/attic

Period: around 380 B.C.

Material: Terracotta

Dimensions: 18.7 cm in diameter

Price: Sold

Ref: 2573

Provenance: Swiss private collection Sorengo, acquired around 1990. Thence with Charles Ede in London 1995. There published in "Pottery from Athens", Vol. XIV. number 21. Last in a US private collection.

Condition: Intact. The black lustre is on a small spot on the rim and at the bottom slightly worn. In the image area a minor chip, as seen in the photograph, otherwise wonderfully preserved.

Description: Exceedingly rare, completely preserved red-figure fish-plate from the Attic workshop of the Alcácer do Sal painter. The black-primed image area, which slightly cascades towards the centre, depicts four sea breams (sparidae), three large and a small one, swimming counterclockwise with the bellies outwards. Between two of the large sea breams is the depiction of a small fish, possibly a sardine. The indentation in the centre is precisely rounded and black glazed. The rim is pulled outwards and decorated with a black wavy band. The fish-plate stands on a slightly set off foot ring, the bottom is pulled outwards and has the black, concentric circles with a centre that are typical for Attic ceramic. The rare Attic fish-plate was made in Athens’ Kerameikos and is published in: Charles Ede Gallery “Pottery from Athens”, Vol. XIV, number 21. See for a very similar fish-plate in: I. McPhee and A.D. Trendall “Addenda to Greek Red-figured Fish-Plates”. Antike Kunst 33, Basel 1990, p. 36, no. 66b with fig. 8,4. See for the Alcácer do Sal painter: I. McPhee und A.D. Trendall “Greek Red-figured Fish-Plates”. Antike Kunst Beiheft 14, Basel 1987, p. 38 f. The painter was named after the site of the Lisbon plate 11.241 in southern Portugal. The reference plate is also published in I. McPhee und A.D. Trendall “Greek Red-figured Fish-Plates” (p. 39, no. 69).