Roman Silver Wine Strainer
Circa 3rd century A.D. Of bulbous form, with a broad everted rim, integral scallops at the neck and splayed handle, perforated floral motif to centre of bowl, scrolling waves around and Greek key pattern above; hole to bowl. Cf. Walters, H.B., Silver / Catalogue of the Silver Plate (Greek, Etruscan And Roman) in the British Museum, London, 1921, no.146, for a similar elaborately decorated silver strainer fastened to a silver funnel by a hinge in the British Museum, inventory no.1890,0923.6.97 grams, 17.5 cm (6 7/8 in.). Acquired 1990s-early 2000s. East Anglian private collection. Round-bowled strainers of various sizes occur in many late Roman hoards of domestic silver. They were used to strain the sediment from wine as it was poured into a drinking vessel. It is noteworthy that wine could have been a kind of gift from the Romans to the members of the foreign or provincial elite, often allies of the Roman leaders. Sets of bronze dishes (such as jars, scoops and strainers) along with glass horns (often with bronze fittings) and silver cups for drinking, usually placed in the so-called princely graves, confirm the wine consumption and indicate the area of its occurrence also outside the Empire.