Montans Sigillata Dish – Chresimus Stamp – Early 2nd Century Ad

Montans Sigillata Dish – Chresimus Stamp – Early 2nd Century AD. This superb sigillata dish comes from the workshops of Montans in the Tarn region and dates from the early 2nd century AD. It bears the CHRESIM stamp in the center, the signature of Chresimus, a potter and decorator active in Montans during the first half of the 2nd century (between 120 and 145 AD according to Thierry Martin). The piece corresponds to a Drag.51 type dish according to the classic typology and measures 24 centimeters in diameter. Its state of preservation is remarkable, with only a small chip to note under the rim. It is rare to find Gallo-Roman sigillata dishes of such quality. For bibliographic reference, see Martin Thierry's article entitled "Two Years of Archaeological Research in Montans (Tarn)," published in the Revue archéologique du Centre de la France, Volume 13, Issues 1-2, 1974, pages 123-143. Provenance: former collection of Julien Bessonneau. Julien Bessonneau (1842-1916), from a wealthy industrial family, significantly expanded his linen and hemp weaving factories, becoming the leading industrialist in Angers in the 1870s. On the eve of the First World War, his businesses employed approximately one in sixteen Angers residents. Like many business leaders of his time, he established social programs, including a sports club that would become SCO Angers, and contributed to the growth of the aeronautics industry with the famous Bessonneau hangars, which were widely used during the war. He owned several prestigious residences: the Château des Brosses near Saint-Clément-de-la-Place, the Château de Mûrs south of Angers, and a large private mansion in the center of Angers, as well as a Parisian residence on the rue de Constantine. A great collector, he amassed a vast art collection: paintings, decorative arts, sculptures, African and Oceanic objects, and numerous archaeological pieces. His post-mortem inventory in 1916 revealed hundreds of antique objects (Cypriot, Greek, Phoenician, Gallo-Roman vases, etc.). His purchases are documented by numerous invoices from specialist dealers. After his death, neither his heirs nor his company continued to expand this collection. A major sale in 1956 dispersed a portion of the works.