lot/roman leaded copper oil lamp w hinged lid GdH7nqm 633076769 / For sale

lot/roman leaded copper oil lamp w hinged lid GdH7nqm 633076769

For salePrice history

lot/roman leaded copper oil lamp w hinged lid GdH7nqm 633076769

For salePrice history

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4d 23hUS

Roman Leaded Copper Oil Lamp w/ Hinged Lid

Roman, Imperial period. A leaded brass lamp of classic Roman form, its rounded body tapering forward into a long nozzle that opens in a broad, unblackened wick hole. The filling aperture is closed by a domed, hinged cover crowned with a turned knop finial, still swinging on its original pin, one of the small mechanical refinements that separated metal lamps from their mass-produced ceramic cousins. The body rises from a low disc foot; the shoulder is plain, without loop or suspension ring, so the lamp was made to sit on a table or shelf rather than hang. Surfaces carry an earthen deposit shot through with green corrosion. The rear terminal, where a handle or ornamental attachment would have risen, is now absent. Metal lamps occupied the upper register of Roman lighting. Where terracotta examples were pressed by the thousand in two-part molds and discarded when their nozzles burned through, cast examples were repairable, refillable, and often fitted with hinged covers, chain attachments, and cast handles in the form of crescents, palmettes, or animal heads. They appear in domestic shrines, better dining rooms, and military contexts across the Empire, and they survive in far smaller numbers because broken or worn metal was routinely returned to the crucible. The hinged discus cover served a practical end: it kept dust and insects out of the oil reservoir and slowed evaporation, while the finial gave the fingers something to grip when the body itself was hot. Item # 204622

Estimate:$300

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Estimate:

$300

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