Roman bronze oil lamp - ex Christie's
€1,280
available
Object number
AR3315A
| Object: |
Oil lamp
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| Material: |
Bronze
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| Date: |
Lamp body 1st - 2nd century A.D., Roman Imperial.br>
Handle time of Roman Empire - Late Antiquity.
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| Description: |
Flat shallow circular body with rounded profile. Elaborate molding around central filling hole, consisting of an outer flat-topped ring and an inner ring with ridges. Long slender flat topped nozzle with spade-shaped tip and circular wick hole. A small blossom to each side of the nozzle. Discus-shaped base. High curved handle. The upper part is shaped as a crescent and decorated with plants in relief. On top a lilly or papyrus bud, which was used as attachment point for the chain to suspend the oil lamp. First S-shaped chain segment is preserved. |
| Size: |
Lamp body without handle: Length 111 mm, width 67 mm, height 31 mm Lamp with handle: Length 129 mm, width 86 mm, height 112 mm |
| Condition: |
Lamp body in overall very good condition. The handle, which originally belonged to a different lamp, is professionally attached with rivets. The connection has become slightly lose over time. Small corrosion spot at one tip of the crescent, small part of palmette missing. With stickers "111", "Oel-Ampel in Bronze Rom 1. Jhnt. n. Chr.", "B38". |
| References: |
Body: E. Altram-Stern, Die römischen Lampen aus Carnuntum (Wien 1989) Nr. 610 For the style of nozzle and mirror, see Bussiere and Lindros Wohl, Ancient lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum (2017) Nr. 619 (different handle type), as well as Nr. 625 (without handle, two nozzles). |
| Provenance: |
Acquired 2022 at Christie's London. From the collection of Fridolin (1903-1969) and Halina (1907-1989) Schwitter-Lagutt, Basel. Acquired before 1971. Between 1971 and 2022 on loan and exhibition at the Antikenmuseum Basel. |
| Authenticity: |
We unconditionally guarantee the authenticity of every artefact, all items are subject to our lifetime return policy on authenticity.
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