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Lamp

A work made of bronze.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of bronze.

Date:

Mid–1st century

Artist:

Roman

About this artwork

The windowless rooms of Roman buildings required artificial illumination, which was frequently provided by oil lamps. While inexpensive terracotta lamps were widely used, bronze lamps were luxury items produced for wealthier people. The handle of this lamp is adorned with a crescent moon surmounted by a bust of Jupiter, king of the gods, and his companion animal, the eagle, which clutches a thunderbolt (a symbol of the god) in its talons. A knobbed lid tops the container, which would have been filled with olive oil.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of the Ancient Mediterranean and Byzantium

Culture

Ancient Roman

Title

Lamp

Place

Roman Empire (Object made in)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

25 CE–75 CE

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

11.5 × 21.7 × 14 cm (4 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 5 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf Collection

Reference Number

1985.1041a-b

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/104998/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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