The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 15, 2026

A dark stoneware jar takes a globular form, defined by vertical ribs around its wide midsection. Horizontal grooved lines frame these ribs, while the lower body tapers sharply to a narrow foot. A matching lid, punctuated by a flared knob, rests flush atop the rim. The burnished surface transitions between charcoal and earthy brown, with a soft sheen highlighting its smooth yet slightly irregular, hand-formed texture.

Pot with Cover

100–200 CE

Rhenish , Gallo-Roman, 2nd century

(Cologne)
tan ware with gray and some brown burnished slip
Diameter: 15.6 cm (6 1/8 in.); Overall: 13.1 cm (5 3/16 in.); Lid: 2.2 x 9.8 cm (7/8 x 3 7/8 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1992.127
Location: 103 Roman

Did You Know?

The shiny surface of this pot was made using a technique called burnishing, performed by polishing a surface with a hard, smooth object.

Description

This elegant pot with its matching lid was made using a potter’s wheel, evident from the subtle horizontal rings that are visible across the belly of the vessel. The vertical ribs were added after the pot was removed from the wheel, using a thick clay paste. The vessel’s lid suggests that it was used for storage.
  • Turner, Evan H. "The Year in Review for 1992." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 80, no. 2 (1993): 38-79. Reproduced: p. 41; Mentioned: p. 41, 65 www.jstor.org
  • Selected Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 11, 1993).
  • {{cite web|title=Pot with Cover|url=false|author=|year=100–200 CE|access-date=15 August 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.127