This amphora, probably Roman in origin, would have contained wine or olive oil, and was discovered by divers in a shipwreck off the Mediterranean coast of southern France. Having been preserved underwater in mud or silt for some centuries the original shape and colour are once again revealed, with the bonus of the additional interesting textures gained from Mediterranean sea creatures over time. The amphora is now in the beautiful new archaeological museum of Narbonne.
“Amphora” is a stone lithograph where the perfectly formed shape of the ceramic vessel has been recreated on a lithographic stone by drawing with and then varying the intensity of the lithographic tusche crayon and wash to create form, tone and texture. Printing the image from the stone simply in one colour means that everything the artist wishes to say about the image has to be contained in this single statement without later alterations or additions.