Around the latter end of the 3rd century Athenians abandoned the vase painting tradition and pot-making began to reflect the work of silversmiths and goldsmiths. This is an example of a Hellenistic mold-made relief bowl, or “Megarian” bowl which usurped the kantharos shape as the standard drinking vessel from the late 3rd century to the middle of the 1st century. The name Megarian was first given to this type of mold-made relief bowl in the late nineteenth century, because some of the first known examples were said to have come from the city of Megara, but it is now understood that the bowls were manufactured in Athens. Clay relief bowls such as this one are less expensive versions of metal-ware bowls. It is likely that their prototypes are fine silverware bowls which were given as diplomatic gifts to Athens by the Ptolomies of Egypt during the, Ptolomaia, a festival of Ptolemy III Euergates established in 224 B.C.E. The bowls are made from molds which are unglazed, wheel-made, and decorated after they have been thrown. The decoration techniques include beading, wheel-run grooves, stamps and hand drawn floral designs. After the mold is completed and fired, soft clay is pressed into the mold and the interior is smoothed onto a wheel so that the exterior picks up the design of the mold. The bowl remains in the mold for several days until it hardens and shrinks, and can be removed. The bowl is then coated with a thick, metallic black glaze and fired.
There are four types of decoration that are found on this type of bowl: Pine-cone scales, overlapping leaves and petals, elaborate floral compositions, and figured scenes. The most popular figures were idyllic scenes with goats and, like the current example, winged erotes. On this vessel, Acanthus leaves project from the floral medallion and come between the Eros figures. Above this, the top row alternates with rosettes and dolphins. Because relief bowls can be reproduced mechanically, it is not possible to assign an exact date to this bowl. However, we can be sure that these bowls were manufactured from the end of the 3rd century and until 50 B.C.E. The possible ancient Greek name for this shape of cup is hemitomos, which means “half-moon.” - Danielle Washington