examples in porphyry, breccia marble or Phrygian marble are today exhibited in various museums (ill. 4). These basins were generally made by workshops in the provinces of Rome and then imported into the capital. This hypothesis was in fact put forward following the discovery of a shipwreck in Punta Scifo, Southern Italy, containing numerous basins, mainly carved in pavonazzetto marble most likely from Asia Minor. These basins, with Ill. 2. Kneeling captive, Roman, 1st century AD, pavonazzetto
their simple shape and lack of any ornament, were
marble and Nero Antico. Archeological Museum of Naples,
probably destined for the local Roman workshops
inv. No. 6117.
that realized the decorations known today thanks to
Ill. 3. Sitting Panther, Roman, 50-99 AD, pavonazzetto marble, H.: 60 cm. Archeological Museum of Naples, inv. No. 6223.
the examples that remain.
Ill. 4. Labrum, Roman, 1st - 2nd century AD, breche marble. Museum of Art and History, Geneva, inv. No. MF 1356.
Our vase can be compared to the large roundrimmed vases commonly called labrums. These basins were generally used by the Romans to contain water in the thermal chambers of the baths but could also decorate the atriums of ancient villas.
Ill. 5. Giovanni Battista Piranesi, « Vaso cinerario antico di
Of various sizes, they are often sculpted in colored
marmo ».
marbles such as pavonazzetto, symbol of the pomp
Ill. 6. Lion-shaped foundation nail, Syrian, Bronze Age,
and prosperity of the Empire at the time. Beautiful
2200-2100 BC, bronze. Musée du Louvre, Paris, inv. No. AO 19937.