Fish Plate

Discussion

FROM THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO’S CATALOG

This footed plate was made to serve succulent morsels of grilled seafood, like the fish that are painted on its surface. Greece and Italy are peninsulas projecting into seas brimming with marine life. A primary source of protein, seafood was a basic staple of the ancient Mediterranean diet; it remains so today. Keen observers of their subjects, ancient vase painters so accurately captured the shapes and markings of the fish they depicted that it is possible to identify most of them by species. On this example, three slightly different, pleasingly plump bream with bright white details appear to swim after one another. A running wave pattern around the central concavity, with a gently sloped floor for collecting juices or serving sauces, recalls the sea, the source of the bounty.

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