Ancient Roman Silver Patera with gold inscription on the handle. Best quality! Royal cup. L: 20 cm

Patera with inscription on the handle Roman 1st - 3rd Century AD Silver Lenght 20 cm; Height 7 cm PROVENANCE: Private collection, N. B, Madrid. Acquired in the Spanish art market in the 1980s. CONDITION: Missing on one side of the container and restoration on the handle. Otherwise in good condition with a beautiful patina. DESCRIPTION: The vessel would have been finished off on a lathe, this is shown by striations which run around the inside and outside of the pan. There is a good patina on the rim and the handle. When discovered, the patera was filled with clay. The patera was x-rayed by Cardiff University but revealed no metal or dense mineral-preserved objects. The possibility remains that organic material may survive within the clay (Parkes 2005) . There was a wide range of copper alloy vessels available in the Roman Empire and patarae was just one type, still this type of vessel performed a number of functions. Some paterae are shallow, circular vessels, which were used to contain liquids for sacrificial or domestic purposes See similar example: http: //www. futuremuseum. co. uk/collections/people/lives-in-key-periods/archaeology/roman/domestic/patera-cooking-pot,-durisdeer. aspx Notes: The seller guarantees that he acquired this piece according to all national and international laws related to the ownership of cultural property. Provenance statement seen by Catawiki. The piece includes authenticity certificate. The piece includes Spanish Export License (Passport for European Union) - If the piece is destined outside the European Union a substitution of the export permit should be requested. This process could take between 1 and 2 months.