Un calice di M. Perennius Bargathes dalla Basilica Iulia nel Foro Romano

The aim of this note is to present a terra sigillata chalice signed by M. Perennius Bargathes found during the Fabbrini excavation (1960-1964) under the Basilica Iulia, which shed new light on a figurative motif among the most famous of this ceramist, i.e. the Maenad type M-re-28 accompanied by wild animals. Until now, this motif had been attested by only a few examples, which are too fragmented or missing some crucial portions for a correct interpretation of the decorative frieze. On the basis of these new fragments, it is possible to demonstrate that in the Bargathean composition the Maenad is matched with a lion looking backards and a deer. A deer head is indeed preserved on the animal body that so far has wrongly been attributed either to a panther – which is rather a sign of P. Cornelius' workshop – or to another lion, as in all cases it was headless. The motif seems to belong to the repertoire of the first phase of Bargathes production, traditionally dated between the late Augustan and the early Tiberian age, although recent stratigraphic data suggest a slightly earlier chronology.