ROMAN VESSEL

250

Copper alloyVessel. Cast zoomorphic pouring spout from a copper alloy vessel. The spout is modelled as a panther's head with a long arching neck and a flat-ended muzzle. An inscribed vertical line flanked by nostrils (apparently blind features) between nose and mouth on the snout ends in a round pouring hole of diameter 4mm. As the spout has an internal diameter of about 9mm this would cause liquid to emerge as a thin jet, as if served from a wineskin. A fixing hole of diameter 4.7mm appears at the lower end of the neck. Internally this forms a socket 6mm long, and suggests the spout was attached to a separately formed vessel.The panther head is modelled naturalistically, and in profile the mouth appears half open with bared teeth. The ears are half-round and flattened back, and the eyes are rendered as single ring and dot; it is possible these may have been emphasised with enamel, though if so, no trace of colorant now remains.The panther was associated with Bacchus, though aspects of his cult lent themselves to Christian reinterpretation, as with the serving of sacramental wine. The attributes of Bacchus appear in later Roman mosaics, as, for example, on a panel depicting a panther or leopard and wine jars accompanying the Rudston Charioteer mosaic (East Riding of Yorkshire). Suggested date: Later Roman, 250-400.Length: 47mm, Width: 19.7mm, Thickness (spout, behind ears): 7.7mm, Weight: 58.99gms.