Roman Pottery Oil Lamp with Bird on Branch

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Roman Pottery Oil Lamp with Bird on Branch
CULTURE / REGION OF ORIGIN: Roman Empire.
DATE: 1st Century CE (probably CE 40-100)
DIMENSIONS: 8.8 cm (3.4 in.) long; 6 cm (2.3 in.) wide.

DESCRIPTION: Intact. A mould-made Roman pottery oil lamp, the discus decorated with a bird, possibly a pea hen, alighting on a branch with clusters of fruit. The discus is defined by three concentric steps. The nozzle is triangular-ended and voluted. There is a signle small fill hole in the discus, an air circulation slit between the discus and nozzle and a large wick hole with evidence of burning around it. The base is flat with no maker’s mark. The clay is fine grained and pinkish-buff, with much oprange brown slip remaining all over.

PROVENANCE: Formerly in a Welsh private collection formed between the 1970s and 2008.

PUBLISHED: Bonhams, London, ANTIQUITIES, 29 April, 2009, Lot #308, listed and illustrated on page 175.

COMPARISONS: www.britishmuseum.com/ search_the_ collection_database, Registration number 1980, 1001.1 / Greek and Roman Antiquities Catalogue number Q2362, for a very similar example from Cyprus.

Item #CA-09-154

Price $485.00