Relief of a Potter and His Wife (Primary Title)
Unknown (Artist)
As a potter paints one of his wares, his wife sits opposite him, holding in one hand a loaf of bread and in the other what may be a fan (the symbol of a married woman). Reliefs portraying artisans were usually commissioned by freed slaves who were proud of their status and wealth. In this case, the woman is shown with the same conventions used to depict aristocratic women of the period-with the fashionable honeycomb hairstyle and stern face of a traditional Roman matron.
Adolph D. and Wilkins C. Williams Fund
Image released via Creative Commons CC-BY-NC
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