Like the expression, "sword of Damocles," there is an expression "pot of ...."
for a Greek ruler, the son of a potter, who kept a pot near his throne
to remind himself of his humble origin (and not get too "uppity," of
course).
I have racked my brain for years to remember the ruler's name. Can you help me?

I believe you are thinking of King Agathocles. He was son of a potter
and would use earthen vessels to remind himself of his humble origins.


AGATHOCLES (361-289 B.C.)  was the son of a potter.
http://79.1911encyclopedia.org/A/AG/AGATHOCLES.htm

 
?The vileness of your original; it is good to remember 'the hole of
the pit, out of which we were digged.' Agathocles, a potter's son,
afterward king of Sicily, would be served in earthen dishes, that he
might be put in mind of his first condition.?
http://www.newblehome.co.uk/manton/vol15/self-denial-love.html


?King Agathocles of Sicily as a combination of extremes. In order to
remind himself of his humble origins amidst his regal prosperity,
Agathocles dined with ornate cups and rustic dishes, thus "mixing
wealth and poverty together.?
http://www.geocities.com/magdamun/jonsonsucklingphilips.html



A Critical Edition of John Beadle's A Journall or Diary of a Thankfull
Christian (Renaissance Imagination)
by John Beadle 

On Page 140:  
?Agathocles King of Sicily, who was by birth but a Potters Son, would
always be served at his Table  with earthen vessels, that he might
ever be mindful of his low & mean condition at first.?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0815315678/qid=1089785494/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl14/002-1715204-4450412?v=glance&s=books&n=507846
 


The Historical Imagination in Early Modern Britain : History,
Rhetoric, and Fiction, 1500-1800 (Woodrow Wilson Center Press)

On page 31:
?Lessons in humility, for example, were taught by the demagogue
Agathocles, who after seizing power in Syracuse kept earthen pots on
his table to remind him he had once been a potter.?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0521521238/qid=1089785571/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-1715204-4450412?v=glance&s=books



The Didascalicon of Hugh of Saint Victor
by Jerome Taylor

?King Agathocles, who drank from a goblet of clay after drinking from
one of gold to remind himself of his humble origin.?
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0231096305/qid=1089785542/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-1715204-4450412?v=glance&s=books



"Agathocles' pot,"
http://www.angelfire.com/nv/mf/elia2/poor.htm


If, by any chance, this is not the ruler you have in mind, please
request clarification before rating my answer; I'll be glad to resume
my search.


Search criteria:
"pot of "
?potter?s son?
Agathocles remind himself of his humble
Earthen vessels +Agathocles


Best regards,
Bobbie7