43.1908: Lamp with Sistrum

Identification and Creation

Object Number

43.1908

Title

Lamp with Sistrum

Classification

Lighting Devices

Work Type

lighting device

Date

50-100

Period

Roman Imperial period, Early

Culture

Roman

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/293500

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Terracotta

Technique

Mold-made

Dimensions

11.5 × 7 cm (4 1/2 × 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

43.1908

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Descriptions

Description

Mold made lamp with slightly raised, thick ring base and flat center. Rounded, flaring walls form underside of reservoir. Obvious join marks between underside and rim. Rim slopes very subtly inward and is separated from discus by two narrow grooves. Concave discus is decorated with a sistrum. Small filling hole at lower left of discus. Wide volute nozzle, diamond-shaped at end. Small air hole between volutes at edge of rim. Volutes extend downward to create darts in relief on the sides of the nozzle. Vertical pierced handle with two incised grooves.

Buff-orange fabric. Slip ranges from darkish orange to dark brown, is mottled along underside of reservoir, and has a very dull lustre. Surface is not smooth, either because of granular inclusions in the clay or because of bubbles or pits in the mold.

Subjects and Contexts

• Roman Domestic Art

Verification Level