Greek Hellenistic Terracotta Oil Lamp
£ 125.00
An ancient Greek, Hellenistic oil lamp, wheel-made from terracotta. The lamp features a double-convex circular body with a small central filling hole, sitting upon a slightly raised base. The short nozzle extends slightly upwards at the front. A vertical ribbon handle, decorated with two deep grooves, has been applied to the rear of the lamp on the shoulders. There are traces of a dark glaze on the lamp’s surface.
Date: Circa 2nd-1st century BC
Provenance: Collection of a North London gentleman, previously Ex Lots Road Auction, 2009, deceased estate of a German archaeologist.
Condition: Fine condition. Earthly encrustations, alongside remnants of the original dark glaze, to the surface.
SOLD
In Antiquity, a lamp was originally called a ‘lychnus‘, from the Greek ‘λυχνος’. Pottery oil lamps could be made in three different ways: handmade, wheel made, or by mould. Lamps such as this were wheel-made and so decoration tended to be minimal and the design was intended to be functional rather than decorative. Lamps continue to be made in this way until the invention of the mould – which allowed for greater creativity amongst lamp makers.
To discover more about oil lamps in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Lighting The Way.
