Provenanced Roman North Africa Redware Oil Lamp

£ 240.00

A North African-Roman redware oil lamp, which features an elongated nozzle and lug handle attached on the back of the body. This discus has been decorated with a palm-tree at the centre, with a simple wave pattern around the perimeter; the palm tree bore several meanings to the Ancient Romans, but it was associated closely with victory and considered an attribute of the goddess Victoria. There are two off-centred filling holes, situated close to the handle and nozzle. The lamp sits on a low, circular ring foot.

Date: Circa 400-500 AD
Provenance: From the collection of Arno Jumpertz, Leverkusen, Germany, 1924-1984. Much of the collection was exhibited at Neus museum, 1985.
Condition: Very fine condition; small repair on the nozzle, otherwise intact. A few light earthy accretions.

SOLD

SKU: AS-3691 Category: Tag:

During the Roman Empire, a lamp was originally called a ‘lychnus’, from the Greek ‘λυχνος’, with the oldest Roman lamps dating back to the third century BC. It is thought that the Romans took the idea for lamps from the Greek colonies of Southern Italy. During the Roman Empire, it became commonplace to use lamps in funeral ceremonies and for public purposes. Over time, the manufacture of lamps increased, and so did the variation in decoration, which depended mainly on the shape and size of the lamp. Common decorative themes depicted on the discus were entertainment scenes (such as gladiators in combat), common myths, and animals. During the fourth and fifth century AD, North Africa started to produce oil lamps from red slip, much like this fine example, with large discus areas which allowed for numerous designs. The catalogue type Hayes II is split into two categories, this oil lamp falls under Hayes II A which holds characteristics from central Tunisia, one being the neatly drawn motives around the shoulder.

Weight 156 g
Dimensions L 13.3 cm
Culture

Region

Pottery and Porcelain

Roman Mythology