Style and Function in Roman Decoration by Ellen Swift

Author:Ellen Swift
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2018-05-14T04:00:00+00:00

The Iconography of Decoration in Relation to Contents

In addition to the relationship between the formal disposition of ornament on the surfaces of a silver vessel and its form and function, the subject matter of decoration, what is represented, is also frequently related to the function of the vessel. 59 At times this appears to be a complex relationship, though it can be as simple as decorating the vessel with a picture of the intended contents.

According to Elsner, the figurative decoration on early silver plate creates an ironic commentary on the activities of the diners, portraying scenes, for example, of Bacchic feasting, or ritual sacrifice of animals that would later be eaten.60 In late silver plate, a similar connection between decoration and function can be identified. An activity represented on a vessel replicates the activity to which the vessel acts as an accessory in the real world. Elsner illustrates this trend through the consideration of much later (sixth-century) liturgical vessels with explicitly Christian themes. 61 A chalice decorated with a picture of the Last Supper, for example, both reminds the user of the original prototype and mimics the way that the chalice would be used in contemporary Christian ritual. It makes explicit the link with the event that is commemorated in the Christian Eucharist. Elsner argues that there is a difference between this later example and early ‘deconstructive’ commentaries through decor, and it is possible that continuity of cultural traditions over such a long period will have been attended by a degree of cultural drift. Early Roman iconography, however, can be quite as literal-minded as that of late antiquity, for example the procession of priests and aristocracy taking part in the sacrifice at the Ara Pacis which is shown in a frieze on the monument itself.62 Returning to silver plate, the ‘secular’ feast using a cup decorated with Bacchic scenes63 could itself be considered a religious gesture, since drinking wine itself was a way of communing with Bacchus.64 The relationships exhibited in earlier iconography between representation and practice do not seem very different to that of late antiquity exemplified by the Christian chalice,65 merely the presumed ‘prototypes’ of antique practice are situated in the sphere of pagan history and mythology rather than Christian historico-religious narrative. What is particularly interesting is the desire evidenced in Roman decorative schemes throughout the period to situate contemporary practice in the context of established tradition, through the use of mythic or historic archetypes,66 and in the case of the vessels, to draw attention to this on the practical equipment itself. Examining further instances of this kind of self-referential decoration on silver plate, pottery and glassware, the decoration on the equipment of secular dining and the toilet often shows both mythical/pagan prototypes and scenes of the owners of the plate, who act in imitation of these mythic archetypes, in a mirroring which is reflected a second time in the practice of the vessel’s use.

An example of the kind of mythic prototype found on silver plate in the fourth century is the so-called ‘Petit Palais’ patera from the Esquiline treasure.

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