THE TEXAS FOUNDATION

FOR
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.

RESTORATION

EXCAVATION DRAWING
CLEANING

PHOTOGRAPHY
ANALYSIS
 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

HANDLE
NECK

SHOULDER
BODY

STEM
BASE or FOOT
HOW TO DRAW A KANTHAROID CUP
1 st

BE CAREFUL WITH THE LABEL, MAKE SURE IT STAYS

WITH THE PIECE FOR IDENTIFICATION.
2 nd

WRITE THE INFORMATION FROM THE LABEL IN THE UPPER LEFT

CORNER OF THE GRAPH PAPER.
3rd

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.
 4 th

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. 2
DRAW THIS LINE (2) ON
THE PAPER IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE LINE ALREADY
DRAWN FOR THE BASE (1).
1
5 th

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).
6 th

4 3

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).
 7 th
HOLD 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.
8 th

4 3

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.
9 th

CONNECT THE RECORDED

POINTS TO MAKE THE
PROFILE.
10 th

THE OUTER PROFILE IS COMPLETE. USE THE CALIPERS TO FIND

THE THICKNESS OF THE PIECE IN ORDER TO MAKE THE INTERIOR
PROFILE.
11 th

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.
12 th

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.
13 th

NOW THE PROFILE ITSELF IS COMPLETED.

14 th

FILL IN THE INTERIOR OF PROFILE IN BLACK.

15 th
16 th

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