Paterae are small, flat, circular or oval ornaments, usually decorated with radiating fluting, petals or acanthus leaves around a central boss, used as decoration on furniture, chimneypieces, ceilings and architecture. The word is the plural of patera, the Latin name for a shallow Roman dish used to pour libations, from which the design was derived.
The motif became a hallmark of the Neoclassical style in the second half of the eighteenth century, when architects and designers drew on newly published studies of Roman antiquities. Robert Adam used paterae extensively in his plasterwork ceilings, friezes and chimneypieces, and the motif was taken up by George Hepplewhite, Thomas Sheraton and other furniture designers. Paterae appear inlaid in satinwood and mahogany on the friezes of sideboards and card tables, carved on chair rails and mirror frames, cast in brass as furniture mounts and curtain tie-backs, and moulded in composition on fire surrounds. When assessing a piece, the quality of the inlay or carving, whether paterae are original or later additions, and the fineness of shading in marquetry examples are all worth close attention. Well-executed paterae are a reliable marker of refined neoclassical design.
