CC0 · no rights reserved
Red-Figure Fish Plate: Octopi, Mullet, Bream, Shellfish
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Although first developed in Athens, red-figure fish plates became especially popular in South Italy and Sicily in the 300s BC. All feature a short foot and a small central depression, but those produced in the workshop of Asteas and Python, like this one, are the largest and most ornate. Archaeologists have closely studied the fish and other sea creatures represented, identifying many of them with species still found (and eaten) in the Mediterranean; included here are octopi, mullet, bream, and various shellfish.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineRed-Figure Fish Plate: Octopi, Mullet, Bream, Shellfish, c. 340–330 BCE. Attributed to Asteas/Python Workshop (South Italian, Paestan, active c. 360–320 BCE). Ceramic; diameter: 38.3 cm (15 1/16 in.); overall: 7.9 cm (3 1/8 in.); diameter of foot: 16 cm (6 5/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund, 1985.50
