Late Hellenistic-Early Imperial Terracotta Oil Lamp with Floral Decoration

£ 250.00

A very fine Late Hellenistic-Early Imperial terracotta oil lamp featuring decorative floral motifs. This piece is likely a Howland Type 49 A, more commonly known as ‘Ephesus lamps’ due to their abundance in the region. The oil lamps are characterised by a biconical body, long nozzle and wide rim surrounding the wick-hole. This lamp is mould-made, featuring a central, circular filling-hole framed by two concentric ridges. The elongated spout tapers at the sides before flaring to a rounded end, within which lies the wick-hole. The shoulders feature four diagonal panels of a vine-motif, between which three flowers are interspersed. Three ridges follow the curvature of the spout, with the central one terminating in a floral design and the outer two developing into the wick-hole rim. The lamp rests upon a flat, circular foot. Earthy encrustations feature across the surface of the lamp, alongside remnants of a vibrant orange slip.

NB: Measurements are approximate.

Date: Circa 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD
Condition: Very fine. Earthy encrustations to the surface. Minor scratches and wear consistent with age.

SOLD

SKU: KW-105 Category: Tags: , ,

Mould made lamps date back to the start of the third century BC, in the Eastern Mediterranean. Mould making soon came to dominate other methods of production – namely wheel making. Wheelmade lamps were trickier to produce – they were largely undecorated, given that any decor needed to be moulded separately, applied to the body of the lamp and then fired. Moulding enabled easy decoration – the mould only needed to be made once – and the mass production of oil lamp. The spread of this technique across the Graeco Roman world facilitated the creation of a vast spectrum of oil lamp shapes and designs.

To discover more about oil lamps in Antiquity, please visit our relevant blog post: Lighting The Way.

Weight 63.1 g
Dimensions L 9.8 x W 5.7 x H 2.7 cm
Culture

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Pottery and Porcelain

Region

Reference: For a similar item,The Metropolitan Museum of Art, item 74.51.1974

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