The so-called 'fish plates' are a ceramic vessel type of the late 5th and 4th century BC, mainly from Lower Italy, which is characterised by a conspicuous hanging rim and a central depression. They are decorated with all kinds of marine animals closely based on the natural model. This particular type of pottery was an extremely popular vessel for almost three generations, i.e. between 390 and 300 BC.
The principle of fish plate iconography is completeness. The subject of the individual plate is a section of the marine fauna, delineated in alternating representations, which, taken together, seems to represent the totality of all the marine fish of the Mediterranean. On the top of this plate swim a bream (Diplodus vulgaris), a perch (Serranellus cabrilla) and an electric ray (Torpedo torpedo). (AVS)
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