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Identification and Creation

Object Number
2007.104.16
Title
"Bird's Head" Lamp
Classification
Lighting Devices
Work Type
lighting device
Date
69-138 CE
Places
Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Unidentified Site
Period
Roman Imperial period
Culture
Roman
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/175625

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Terracotta
Technique
Mold-made
Dimensions
3.5 x 5 x 7 cm (1 3/8 x 1 15/16 x 2 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
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.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Transfer from the Alice Corinne McDaniel Collection, Department of the Classics, Harvard University
Accession Year
2007
Object Number
2007.104.16
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Descriptions

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.

Subjects and Contexts

  • Roman Domestic Art

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu