Byzantine ceramic motif of bird standing right in foliage was common in incised-sgraffito ware: TalbotRice1930, pp. 61-62, fig. 4:2 (Istanbul); CorinthXI, p. 281, no. 1157, pl. XLIV:f (C. Morgan).
Shallow bowl or dish. Low foot, widely splayed. Floor slightly thickened in middle. Centered on floor is stamped medallion: bird standing right with foliage (fronds?) to upper left and lower right; form is schematic and details are blunt. Various features all point to regional derivative (12th century) of classic Constantinopolitan white ware (cf. Talbot Rice Group A5=Hayes Glazed White Ware II): regional fabric; white slip under two colors of glaze covering whole vessel; splayed foot; degenerate bird-design and its later currency.
Fabric, firing, and surface description
Consistently fired pink. Fine, somewhat hard fabric has rare, very small, spherical “lime“. Regional. Thin, white slip on all surfaces. Over white slip on floor is thick, uneven lead glaze in rich to dark green (added copper oxide); over white slip on exterior wall and entire bottom is thin, even lead glaze in brown-speckled yellow (added iron oxide). Glaze shows faint craquelure and sparse pinprick bubbles from glost firing.
Preservation comment
One large sherd preserves center of floor and 75% of base. Slight, somewhat extensive abrasion and chipping especially around breaks; slightly worn breaks; specks of encrustation on glazed surface and thick coating on bottom.
Published as
KenchreaiIV, p. 104, no. LRB 51, pl. 25 (“sgraffito“: B. Adamsheck)
