WORDS by PENELOPE DARIO
PHOTO by MICHAEL KRIM

The Romans used the term sine cera as a quality seal for marble statues and watertight pottery. This practice was brought about as a response to charlatans who mixed wax (cera) with marble dust to hide imperfections in statues and potters who would seal their chalices with wax rather than proper glazes. Today the dictionary defines sincerity as “the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy.”