Roman Samian Ware. 



231 



The potter's name was placed in a small rectangular label, 

 as in the two examples to the right in our cut, Fig 2. The 

 name was most commonly put in the genitive case, combined 

 with O or OF, abbreviations of the word officina, as in the 

 example given in our cut, where OF MODESTI stands for 

 officina Modesti, i. e., from the workshop of Modestus ; or with 

 M for manu, as COBNERTI M, for Gobnerti maim, by or from 

 the hand of Cobnertus, Sometimes the name is given in the 

 nominative case, followed by F or FE, for fecit, as COCVRO F, 

 for Cocuro fecit, Oocuro made it. Doubled or ligulated letters 

 are frequently introduced in these inscriptions, an example of 

 which is given in the lower figure to the right, where the first 

 letter is the ligulated T and E, and the name is TETTVR. Some- 

 times we meet with an error in the spelling of the word ; and 

 in one or two instances the person who made the stamp 

 inscribed the name carelessly, so that it read direct on the 

 stamp, and consequently it is reversed in the impression on 

 the pottery. An example is given in the cut, where the 

 inscription reversed reads PRASSO"0. The name is not 

 always placed in a square label, though examples to the 

 contrary are rare. In a few instances it has been found 

 inscribed round a small circle. It is a peculiarity of the 

 Arretine ware, described by Fabroni, that the label not 



Fig. 3. A Potter's Stamp. 



unfrequently assumes the form of the sole of a man's foot. 

 The stamp of this form given in our cut occurs on a piece of 

 the red Samian ware found at Lillebonne, in Normandy. The 

 inscription appears to be HIL*0*L*TITI, which may perhaps 

 stand for Hilarii officina liberti Titi, from the workshop of 

 Hilarius, the freedman of Titus. As this combination of 



