Terracotta oil lamp

Unknown

5th century CE · Terracotta · Greek and Roman Art

Hayes Type 2. Mold-made, with unpierced handle. Discus: chi-rho, with top at back, decorated with lines of dots, and other symbols with the P and below the two horizontal arms; two filling holes at either side; discus surrounded by a raised line that extends forward at the front, forming a broad channel to large wick hole. Shoulder: pattern of raised symbols arranged in squares and triangles. Flat oval base, with a central cross, decorated with a vertical line; two raised lines around edge of base, joining with two other lines that extend towards the back of the handle, and two other sets of lines flanking the nozzle; a row of raised dots around bottom of body. Intact. On the discus is the Christian chi-rho monogram. The shape and decoration of this lamp, made somewhere in the Greek East, are related to and probably copied from those of African red-slip ware lamps.

Artist

Unknown

Date

5th century CE

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Credit line

The Cesnola Collection, Purchased by subscription, 1874–76