Pottery, Glass, and the Pictorial Habit between Late Republic and Early Empire

Abstract

In the period of classical antiquity, art objects, especially objects of ceramic and glass, were not always used as image bearers to the same extent. Depending upon the prevalent pictorial habit, the phenomenon of images was by no means de rigueur, and imagery was used optionally depending upon the historical, political, and social situation. This chapter focuses on the late Roman Republic and the early imperial period. Like no other period of antiquity, the time span between the second century bce and the first century ce was a phase of accelerated change and upheaval but also one of consolidation. In this period, a pictorial habit developed that differed enormously from the artistic practice of the preceding period and that also continued into the imperial period. Furthermore, imagery was no longer limited to consumption by the elite class but was also available to the broader population. The development of ceramic and glass as visual media provides an excellent example of the profound changes in the culture of the image.