THE TEXAS FOUNDATIONFOR

ARCHAEOLOGICAL & HISTORICAL RESEARCH

DRAWING POTTERY PROFILES

AFTER A VESSEL OR POTSHERD HAS BEEN PROPERLY EXCAVATED, PHOTOGRAPHED, CLEANED, ANALYZED, AND RESTORED (IF NECESSARY), IT IS TIME TO DRAW A PROFILE OF THE PIECE.

EXCAVATION

PHOTOGRAPHY

CLEANING

ANALYSIS

RESTORATION

DRAWING

POTTERY PROFILE AND TERMINOLOGY

THE CONCEPT OF THE POTTERY PROFILE IS TO PRESENT BOTH AN EXTERIOR VIEW AND A PROFILE “CUTTING” OF THE PIECE. FOR TFAHR PUBLICATIONS, IT IS CUSTOMARY TO PRESENT THE EXTERIOR VIEW ON THE RIGHT AND THE PROFILE CUTTING ON THE LEFT.

RIM or LIP

BASE or FOOT

HANDLENECK

SHOULDER

BODY

STEM

HOW TO DRAW A KANTHAROID CUP

BE CAREFUL WITH THE LABEL, MAKE SURE IT STAYS WITH THE PIECE FOR IDENTIFICATION.

1st

WRITE THE INFORMATION FROM THE LABEL IN THE UPPER LEFT CORNER OF THE GRAPH PAPER.

2nd

MEASURE THE BASE OF THE PIECE. DRAW IT ON THE PAPER (1). MAKE YOU SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH SPACE ON THE PAPER FOR THE REST OF THE PIECE, ALONG WITH A BORDER TO MAKE SCANNING THE PAPER INTO THE COMPUTER EASIER.

3rd

1

MEASURE THE HEIGHT OF THE PIECE AT ITS TALLEST POINT. USUALLY, THIS IS FROM THE RIM TO THE BASE THROUGH THE CENTER OF THE PIECE. DRAW THIS LINE (2) ON THE PAPER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LINE ALREADY DRAWN FOR THE BASE (1).

4th

1

2

TAKE THE MEASUREMENT OF THE PIECE`S DIAMETER AT THE RIM. DRAW THIS LINE (3) OVER THE CENTRAL LINE THAT HAD BEEN DRAWN FOR THE HEIGHT OF THE PIECE (2). MAKE SURE LINE (3) IS PERPENDICULAR TO LINE (2).

5th

3

2

MEASURE THE WIDEST POINT OF THE PIECE; IN THIS KANTHAROID CUP IT IS FROM THE END OF THE HANDLE TO THE RIM. DRAW THIS POINT (4) ON THE GRAPH PAPER. THIS WILL BE THE ORIGIN OF THE NEXT POINTS YOU WILL DRAW (NEXT SLIDE).

6th

4 3

2

7thHOLD YOUR RULER VERTICALLY AGAINST THE HANDLE AND, IN ONE CENTIMETER INCREMENTS, TAKE POINTS IN THE PROFILE OF THE ENTIRE PIECE AND TRANSCRIBE THEM TO THE GRAPH PAPER.

BE SURE THAT THE RULER STARTS EXACTLY AT 0 CM TO AVOID MISMEASURMENT. IF THE RULER DOES NOT START AT 0 CM, SET IT ALONG THE EDGE OF THE TABLE, AS PICTURED.

TRANSCRIBE THESE POINTS TO THE GRAPH PAPER WITH CALIPERS OR A COMPASS. PUT ONE LEG OF THE INSTRUMENT ON THE “EXTREME EDGE” (WHERE THE RULER WAS), AND WITH THE OTHER LEG MARK THE CORRESPONDING POINT ON THE GRAPH PAPER.

8th

3

2

1

4

CONNECT THE RECORDED POINTS TO MAKE THE PROFILE.

9th

THE OUTER PROFILE IS COMPLETE. USE THE CALIPERS TO FIND THE THICKNESS OF THE PIECE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE INTERIOR PROFILE.

10th

DRAW THE INTERIOR PROFILE OF THE PIECE BY USING THE CALIPERS TO FIND THE THICKNESS OF THE PIECE AT CERTAIN POINTS. YOU NOW HAVE ONE HALF OF THE PROFILE DRAWN.

11th

TO FINISH THE OTHER HALF OF THE PROFILE, YOU MUST DRAW A MIRROR IMAGE OF THE PIECE NEXT TO THE HALF ALREADY DRAWN, IF THE PIECE IS SYMMETRICAL. GO TO THE WINDOW, FOLD THE PAPER BACK ALONG THE CENTRAL EDGE OF THE DRAWING, AND DRAW ONLY THE EXTERIOR PROFILE.

12th

NOW THE PROFILE ITSELF IS COMPLETED.

13th

FILL IN THE INTERIOR OF PROFILE IN BLACK.

14th

15th

16th

THE FINAL STAGE IS TO STIPPLE THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE PROFILE. THIS IS A LABOR INTENSIVE PROCESS AND MANY INSTITUTIONS FORGO THIS LAST STEP. BUT SINCE IT PRODUCES A MORE READABLE PROFILE, TFAHR INSISTS UPON IT FOR ITS PUBLICATIONS. THE STIPPLING IS USUALLY DONE IN TEXAS, AS THE PROFILE IS READIED FOR PUBLICATION.

Text: Pablo Aparicio Resco; edited by William Neidinger

Photographs: Pablo Aparicio Resco, Eulah Matthews, Nicholas Shelden-Setten, William Neidinger

Pottery profiles: Pablo Aparicio Resco, Dorothy Caggiano, Ann Fowler, and Teresa Southwell