File:4th century ceramic face from Face flagon (FindID 60297).jpg

English: Face fragment from a Roman pottery Face-flagon. Its reverse is convex, horizontally (from one side of the hair to the other) with a 27x5mm, 2-3mm deep rectangular area behind the hairline, presumably for attachment purposes. The reverse of the lower half of the face is grey in colour while the reverse of the upper half is orange.

The face itself is not completely 3-dimensional, the right hand side of the face rather leaning over the left. It is unclear whether or not this was purposeful, but it does serve in giving the face a 'looming' quality. The top of the head also is rather flat, compared to the chin which is quite prominent as far as the nose, where is slopes to the top of the head.
The portraiture is not terribly impressive : the left eye is neat enough, with two C shapes on their side (curves outermost) above and below a central horizontal moulding. The right eye in contrast is more of a splodge, and seems to have merged with the upper 'C' shaped eyebrow, while the lower is rather longer than its couterpart on the left. The nose appears squashed, and was possibly chipped in antiquity (it is now smooth although the colour of the fabric is slightly different at its tip), and the left nostril is just visible. The mouth below is again two elongated C-shapes on their sides, touching at the right hand side and open at the left, looking rather more like a V-shape on its side. The face is oval and a circular area beneath the mouth defines the chin. There is no obvious neck. The hair is a mixture of moulded and incised elongated C-shapes and lines, sweeping back from the face and imitating waves. At the top-centre of the head is a peculiar indented V, perhaps representing a hair ornament. To the left hand side just below the hairline and at the edge of the cheek is a moulded tear-drop shape, possibly an ear-ring.

54x42x17mm, probably 4th century. Cf. de la Bédoyère 1989 p.168, fig.102.