Lighting DevicesRoman1st century CE

Lamp

50-100

Description

Mold-made Roman lamp. Flat base encircled by groove with a sandalled footprint at the center. Rounded walls form mid-volume reservoir and meet rim at a blunt, obtuse angle. Rim is rounded and slopes upwards. Concave discus separated from rim by two incised grooves. Original concave discus is broken away and has been filed away to fit the front-facing head of a satyr, in similar fabric, which has been glued into place. Round, protruding nozzle squared where it meets rim. Short channel runs between nozzle and edge of discus. Bottom half of vertical pierced handle is original, but upper portion has been restored in plaster. Buff fabric with slip ranging from dark orange to dark brown. Slip is mottled in patches. Discus decoration of similar fabric with slip of slightly lighter and warmer colors. Dimensions include restored handle.

Classification

Lighting Devices

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Roman

Period

Roman Imperial period, Early

Century

1st century CE

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Department

Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art & Numismatics

Dimensions

5 x 10 x 7.3 cm (1 15/16 x 3 15/16 x 2 7/8 in.)

Provenance

Miss Elizabeth Gaskell Norton, Boston, MA and Miss Margaret Norton, Cambridge, MA (by 1920), gift; to the Fogg Museum, 1920. Note: The Misses Norton were daughters of Charles Elliot Norton (1827-1908).