This jug’s decoration of water birds and bending plants is an example of a particularly rare type of ceramic decoration. The jug is decorated in the “barbotine” technique, a style of decoration that is applied freehand using clay to create a raised design. Think icing applied to decorate a cake. Barbotine is very difficult to do well, and even when it is, requires much time. Thus there are few examples of barbotine techniques.
Late 1st century BCE to early 1st century CE, Roman Empire.
