40.1908: Lamp

Identification and Creation

Object Number

40.1908

Title

Lamp

Classification

Lighting Devices

Work Type

lighting device

Date

40-100 CE

Period

Roman Imperial period, Early

Culture

Roman

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/293468

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Terracotta

Technique

Mold-made

Dimensions

10 × 7 cm (3 15/16 × 2 3/4 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Lent by the Misses Katherine B. and Mary D. Upham, March 14, 1908.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Loan from Estate of Donald Upham and Mrs. R. U. Hunter

Object Number

40.1908

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request.

Descriptions

Description

Mold made lamp. Flat base delineated by a worn circular groove. Fairly deep reservoir with minimally curving, flaring walls. Narrow rim slopes downward. Three grooves separate rim from concave discus. On the discus, a monkey, shown in profile, with a long, curving tail stands on a grape vine reaching for and eating its fruit. The vine extends from the lower portion of the discus along the right side and to the top of the discus. Filling hole below center, chipped around its edges. Doughy double volute nozzle is relatively long and has a rounded tip. Small air hole between volutes just below rim. Volutes extend into darts, in reliev, along the side of nozzle. No handle.

Pale tan, delicate fabric with very small inclusions and some mica. Slip mostly worn away, but preserved areas show that the slip color ranged from chocolate brown to bright orange. Thin walls.

Subjects and Contexts

• Roman Domestic Art

Verification Level