A fish-plate is a type of red-figured Greek pottery vessel, named thus because they are decorated with painted images of various types of fish and other sea creatures (common choices include bream, perch, torpedo fish, squid, octopus, and dolphin, as well as several others). They are round and fairly flat, and often sit on a pedestal. They also usually have a small depression in the centre, which scholars believe could have been used to either hold sauce or collect the juices of the food. They are also sometimes found with small black bowls which fit neatly into the central depression. The type originated in Athens in the 5th century BC, but most of the examples that we have today come from Southern Italy, where the form was often elaborated with more colours such as deep red, pink, and yellow. There are splendid examples from all of the Southern Italian fabrics except Lucanian, perhaps because their main centres of vase production were not close to the sea. They usually range between 15 and 25cm in diameter (although there are some larger examples), which means they would have been a suitable size on which to serve food. Because of their decoration, many have believed that they would have been used to serve seafood. However, they would have been equally suitable for serving other things, such as bread or fruit. Other theories have also been advanced, such as the possibility that they may have been used as targets in a version of kottabos, a game played at symposia (drinking parties) where participants would throw the sediment from the bottom of their wine into dishes floating on water in order to try to sink them.

This exceptionally large example features three fish, striped and with spiky dorsal fins, swimming counterclockwise. Between them three small scallops a wave pattern is also applied to the overhanging rim and around the central depression.

Bibliography

Kunische, Norbert. Griechische Fischteller: Natur und Bild. Berlin: Gebr. Mann, 1989.
Trendall, A.D. and McPhee, I. ‘Addenda to “Greek red-figured fish-plates”.’ Antike Kunst 33 (1990): pg 31-51.
I.McPhee and A.D. Trendall, Greek Red-figure Fish-plates, Basel: 1987.