Acquisition number: 2017.06
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Intact, in fair condition; small hole in base and worn ribbon handle. Mould-made lamp with round-tipped nozzle, filling hole surrounded by two concentric grooves and wreath design. Flat base with circular groove enclosing relief quatrefoil. Possible traces of red slip.
Title: Roman Lamp - 2017.06
Acquisition number: 2017.06
Culture or period: Roman Imperial
Date: c. 2nd - 3rd century AD
Material: Clay - Terracotta
Object type: Lamps - Terracotta
Dimensions: 95mm (l) × 55mm (w) × 25mm (h)
Origin region or location: Syria
Display case or on loan: 11
Keywords: Roman, Imperial, Lamp
D.M. Bailey, Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum, vol. 2 - Roman Lamps (London, 1980).
D.M. Bailey, A Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum, vol. 3 - Roman Provincial Lamps (London, 1988).
J. Bussière and B. Lindros Wohl, Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, 2017).
W. Harris, “Roman Terracotta Lamps: The Organization of an Industry”, Journal of Roman Studies 70, 1980, 126-145.
2017.06
Roman Lamp
Purchased in Syria and on loan from Emeritus Professor Graeme Clarke
Length 9.5cm; width 5.5cm; height 2.5cm
Intact, in fair condition; small hole in base and worn ribbon handle. Mould-made lamp with round-tipped nozzle, filling hole surrounded by two concentric grooves and wreath design. Flat base with circular groove enclosing relief quatrefoil. Possible traces of red slip.
This lamp has a broad ribbon handle, which can be contrasted with the narrower ring handle that is also common on ancient lamps (see, for example, 1978.08). Ribbon handles may have improved grip on what could be slippery objects, since oil might spill or seep, and may have served as heat-shields when the lamp was in use. For an example of an eastern provincial lamp with a similar ribbon handle and design, see J. Bussière and B. Lindros Wohl, Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, 2017) 53, no. 65. See also 1974.08 for another Syrian lamp with a wreath design.
Whereas a stamp of the maker’s name had a definite purpose (see W. Harris, “Roman Terracotta Lamps: The Organization of an Industry”, Journal of Roman Studies 70, 1980, 126-145), it has proved difficult to divine the intent behind basic designs on lamp bases such as the quatrefoil here. This may simply have been fashionable (D.M. Bailey, Catalogue of the Lamps in the BritishMuseum, vol. 2 (London, 1980) 104), or perhaps identified a particular lamp workshop (J. Bussière and B. Lindros Wohl, Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum (Los Angeles, 2017) 470). For a variety of maker’s marks on provincial lamps, including the quatrefoil, see D.M. Bailey, A Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum, vol. 3 (London, 1988) 136-140.
On loan from Emeritus Professor Graeme Clarke