Lighting DevicesRoman1st-2nd century CE

"Bird's Head" Lamp

69-138 CE

Description

Light buff fabric, no slip. Mold-made, boat-shaped lamp with flat bottom and shallow resevoir; the flaring nozzle is an extension of the reservoir. The reservoir top is only slightly indented in a triangular form, has a central filling hole, and is defined by a wish-bone shaped groove which extends onto the nozzle. On either side of this wish-bone extension are incised two verticle lines, probably a stylized form of the bird wings stamped on other examples, such as (like TL 35100.154). Below these lines are three dots. The nozzle flares out into a convexly curved edge with pointed horns on either side. The handle is vertical, pierced parallel to the reservoir edge; the handle is perhaps adapted to being hung on a wall. Stamped on the bottom is ...ABRICA GAII with a sandalled footprint below. Possibly FABRICA GAII = Factory of Gaius.

Classification

Lighting Devices

Technique

Mold-made

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Roman

Period

Roman Imperial period

Century

1st-2nd century CE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

3.5 x 5 x 7 cm (1 3/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Walton Brooks McDaniel, New Jersey (?-1943/46) gift; to the Department of the Classics, Harvard University, (1943/46-2012) transfer; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2012. Note: Walton Brooks McDaniel gave a portion of his collection to the Department of the Classics in 1943 and the rest in 1946. The Collection is named for his late wife, Alice Corinne McDaniel.