| Tourdan Situla | |
|---|---|
 Tourdan Situla as displayed in the British Museum | |
| Material | Silver |
| Created | 150-250 AD |
| Discovered | Revel-Tourdan,France |
| Present location | British Museum,London |
TheTourdan Situla is a Roman silver bucket discovered in the nineteenth century in the commune ofRevel-Tourdan in the department ofIsère in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, southeast France.[1] This 18-centimetre-high hemispherical bucket, with a movable twisted handle, presents the personified seasons around its edge: the engravings represent women and animals. The vessel is dated to the second century AD and is a good example ofGallo-Roman art. Acquired by theBritish Museum in 1859, it is now part of the collection of the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities.[2]
On June 11, 1842, while digging in a field in Tourdan, workers discovered the silver vessel buried in the middle of the remains of aRoman villa. Partially damaged during its excavation, the vase was bought by Mr. Girard, director of a bookshop inVienne, Isère. The announcement of its discovery in the Journal de Vienne aroused a lot of interest, including that of the noted writer and archaeologistProsper Mérimée who wrote a detailed description of the object.[3][4] In 1859, it was purchased by the British Museum and entered the collections of Greek and Roman Antiquities Department. It briefly returned to France in 1989 for an exhibition inLyon devoted to Gallo-Romangoldsmithing.[5]
The situla is 18 cm high, with a diameter of 20.9 cm at the top and 8.5 cm at its base. Its handle is 22.8 cm high. The vessel has a straight edge, curved at the base, supported by an annular foot. It is framed by two fasteners pierced with a hole allowing the hooks to hold a twisted handle. The outer edge of thesitula features a beaded moulding. This solidsilver vase is partially corroded and turned black due to the fact that it was buried and in contact with a circular dish.
Prosper Mérimée is quoted as saying that "The mobile handle is very thick and twisted into a spiral. I have rarely seen, even inPompeii, a more beautiful and important piece, and it would be deplorable if it entered a private collection".[6]
The situla is engraved with a frieze illustrating the four seasons.Spring is depicted as a young woman, beautiful, naked and floral, seated as anamazon on the back of apanther that follows the movement of the sun. Two genies fly over them and go in their direction.Summer is a woman dressed in a veil at the waist blown away by a light breeze. She is sitting on a crouchingbull. Thegenii bear the attributes of working the land.Autumn is more dressed than the two previous women with a veil covering her arms. The woman is lying on a panther, an animal dedicated toBacchus, god of wine. The angels bring fruit to the woman and the procession follows the movement of the sun.Winter is an elderly woman, her face veiled; she seems to be slumped over agame that is itself at rest.
The corrosion present on the vessel suggests that it was buried with a circular dish. The bucket is damaged at the bottom and on its exterior, probably because of the pickaxe that discovered it. This iconographia associating women embodying the seasons with animals can be found on the sarcophagi of theNereids in Nero'sDomus Aurea in Rome and on a late mosaic atLittlecote Roman Villa in England.
This large bucket was originally used to holdwine. Roman tradition placed great importance on drinking wine, especially when devoted to their gods, which would explain the beauty of this utilitarian vessel. This vessel was placed in thetriclinium of the villa. Vessels of this type probably date, like those in bronze, from the years 150 to 250.
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