Materiality and Object Design and function: perspectives from artefacts

The aesthetic qualities of materials used for artefacts have rarely been considered, and aesthetics in relation to the functionality of objects is especially neglected. The paper addresses these issues through an examination of a particular object category, vessels and containers, with a focus on three types of materials, namely glass, metal and organic materials. Firstly, definitions relating to aesthetics are discussed, followed by an overview of our knowledge of aesthetic cultural values in the Roman period. The paper then investigates evidence, principally from the surviving objects of the early Roman period, but also drawing on written sources, that allows us to gain an understanding of the ways that these materials may have been aesthetically valued in contemporary culture. It finally considers the social functions of the aesthetic features of artefacts.