The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 13, 2025

Patera with Fluted Handle and Ram Head Finial

500–400 BCE

Greece

bronze
Diameter: 24.2 cm (9 1/2 in.); Overall: 6.4 cm (2 1/2 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1981.6
Location: 102B Greek

Did You Know?

Ivy leaves, like the tiny example found under the patera's handle, were associated with wine and revelry.

Description

This patera is made from a shallow bronze dish attached to a fluted handle, terminating in a ram’s head. The ram’s head is realistically rendered through careful modeling and a high level of detail. Though the patera looks much like a modern frying pan, in antiquity it would have been used for pouring wine during important rituals.
  • Gillet
    Gillet, Switzerland
  • Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1981.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 69, no. 2 (February 1982): 39–82. Reproduced: p. 42; Mentioned: p. 78, no. 3 www.jstor.org
  • The Year in Review for 1981. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 17-March 21, 1982).
    CMA 1982 "Year in Review 1981" CMA Bulletin 69 (Feb. 1982) 78, no. 3, repr. p. 42.
  • {{cite web|title=Patera with Fluted Handle and Ram Head Finial|url=false|author=|year=500–400 BCE|access-date=13 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1981.6