ANCIENT OIL LAMPS AND OIL LAMP FILLERS

* * *





B3006. AN ISRAELITE TERRACOTTA SAUCER LAMP, ca. 1200-800 BC. Of pinched saucer form. An early Israelite artifact from the First Temple Period of Saul, David and Solomon. 4.9 inches. Nice intact example.



B3007. AN ISRAELITE TERRACOTTA SAUCER LAMP, ca. 1200-800 BC. Of pinched saucer form. An early Israelite artifact from the First Temple Period of Saul, David and Solomon. 5.2 inches. Nice intact example.



B3008. A MUSEUM QUALITY HELLENISTIC BRONZE OIL LAMP, ca. 2nd-1st century BC. The large shallow lamp with volute spout and high curving handle terminating in a grotesque head, the head of a bearded male with the comb, wattles and beak-like nose of a rooster. 4 x 5.75 inches. A wonderful example of grotesque humor in late Hellenistic art. Extremely rare.



B3009. A CHOICE HELLENISTIC GREEK OIL LAMP. Probably Sicily, ca. 3rd-1st century BC. The thick deep body of globular form with incised ring around the fill hole, a pronounced spout with black glaze. 2.5 x 4 inches. Choice condition.



B3010. A FINE CAMPANIAN TEANO GUTTOS, ca. 320 BC. The oil lamp filler with narrow spout with conical rim, a ring handle with five ridged design on the shoulder, the body decorated with finely rendered vines in yellow and white, a 'necklace' of impressed annulettes and pendants around the neck, also a small tongue and dot band painted around the neck. 4 x 4.25 inches. Intact choice example. Very rare this nice.



B3011. A SUPERB CALENE WARE GUTTOS, ca. 3rd century BC. The black glazed terracotta lamp filler with an exquisite molded facing head of Alexander The Great as the young Heracles wearing the skin of a heavily maned lion on his head, the paws tied beneath his chin. 4.75 x 5.25 inches. Professional repair with a few small patches, the relief head appears complete and original. A superb Hellenistic Greek head of the finest style, the huge flowing mane of the lion especially impressive in the manner in which it frames the strong but sensitive countenance of Alexander. Museum quality.



B3012. A FINE AND LARGE CALENE WARE GUTTOS, ca. 3rd century BC. The black glazed terracotta lamp filler with an exceptionally high relief molded facing bust of Athena or a Gorgon wearing a Corinthian helmet, large serpents twining from her hair, numerous fine vertical incised lines ornamenting the shoulder, the whole covered with a high lead content silvery glaze with areas of subdued peacock iridescense. 5.75 x 6.5 inches. Choice intact condition. A superb high relief example of fine style. Museum quality.



B3013. A FINE CALENE WARE GUTTOS, ca. 3rd century BC. The black glazed terracotta lamp filler with a very fine molded facing head of a maned lion on the discus in high relief. 3.75 x 4.75 inches. Choice intact condition. A wonderful Greek lion head of the finest style.



B3014. A FINE CALENE WARE GUTTOS, ca. 3rd century BC. The black glazed terracotta lamp filler with a molded relief scene of a griffin attacking a doe on the discus, vertical incised ornamentation on the shoulder. 4.75 x 5.75 inches. The handle reattached. A wonderful Classic Greek scene of the finest style and excellent detailing including the feathers in the griffin's wings.



B3015. A CALENE WARE GUTTOS, ca. 3rd century BC. The black glazed terracotta lamp filler with a very fine molded facing head of a bearded satyr on the discus. 3.25 x 4.5 inches. Professional repair. A wonderful Classic Greek head of the finest style.



B3016. A CALENE WARE GUTTOS, ca. 3rd century BC. The terracotta lamp filler with a very unusual molded scene with a winged serpent legged being with a head between its legs, and apparently holding two smaller winged beings, one by either hand. 2.5 x 4 inches. Intact with minor scrapes. A very rare scene illustrating an uncertain myth and certainly deserving of further study.



B3017. A RARE AND FINE ETRUSCAN BUCCERO OIL LAMP. Hellenistic, ca. 3rd century BC. The fine blackware lamp of general Hellenistic side lug form but with sharper edges and of typical Etruscan buccero fabric with a fine smooth surface. 3.7 inches. Rare and choice. Museum quality.



B3018. A RARE AND FINE ROMAN BRONZE TORCHIER, ca. 1st-3rd century AD. The tall hollow torchier with wide angled lip with soot deposits, a molded drip plate below, the ten-sided body running down to a multiply ridged and ornamented area ending in a square footed base. 2.1 x 13.5 inches. Choice condition with tiny nick at top. Meseum quality and extremely rare.



B3019. A FINE ROMAN BRONZE OIL LAMP, ca. 2nd century AD. The lamp with high leaf handle with ring below and volute spout, the surface ornamented with stamped annulettes, the ring stand with Classic Roman concentric ridge design. 4.25 inches. The whole surface covered with an exceptional glossy green patina. Choice intact condition.



B3020. A RARE ROMAN SILVER OIL LAMP FILLER, ca. 1st-3rd century AD. The filler with deep hemispheric bowl, palmette handle and trough spout, incised decoration on the rim. 3.75 inches. A fairly common artifact in bronze, this is the only example I've carried formed from silver. Excellent condition with old toned patina. Free standing on its own flat base. Extremely rare.



B3021. A VERY LARGE MUSEUM QUALITY ROMAN OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The lamp with deeply concave discus and volute spout, the discus with the molded figure of a Triton having the body of a man and long fishes tails for legs blowing his seashell horn, a raised V or lambda maker's mark on the bottom. 3.75 x 5.2 inches. Repair, but all original. A wonderful very large classic Roman lamp. faint old Museum numbers inked on the bottom.



B3022. A CHOICE AND RARE ROMAN GLADIATOR LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The grayware lamp with deeply concave discus and volute spout with a Retiarus (trident and net fighter) fighting a bare chested Thracian gladiator wearing feather-crested helmet, loin protector and right arm pad. The Retiarus is getting the worst of the battle, he has lost his net and now holds a gladius in his left hand his trident still in his right, however he has fallen to his knees and is about to be dispatched by the Thracian's sword. 4.1 inches. Repair with small patches and gaps on the bottom, the discus scene all original and complete. Probably only the second known representation of a Retiarus on a Roman lamp (references included). Thracians were among the most popular and admired gladiators in classical times, the most famous of all, Spartacus, was in fact a Thracian. Excessively rare. Museum quality.



B3023. A CHOICE AND RARE ROMAN GLADIATOR LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The redware lamp with ring handle and snub spout with two bare chested Thracian gladiators wearing feather-crested helmets, loin protectors and right arm pads, fighting on the discus. One has pinned the other to the ground with his knee and is about to run him through from behind with his gladius, the maker's mark IDOM??P stamped in the bottom. 4.25 inches. Thracians were among the most popular and admired gladiators in classical times, the most famous of all, Spartacus, was in fact a Thracian. Very rare. Intact choice condition. Museum quality.



B3024. A CHOICE AND RARE ROMAN GLADIATOR LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The redware lamp with volute spout and the molded figure of a gladiator wearing helmet, loin protection, boots and right arm padding, and wielding a Roman short sword (gladius) and carrying a rectangular shield, the maker's mark a raised 'H' on the bottom. 4.3 inches. Very rare. Museum quality.



B3025. A CHOICE ROMAN DOUBLE SPOUTED OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The large grayware lamp with twin volute spouts and leaf handle with ring below, on the discus a finely molded scene of a lion attacking a mare. The scene with strong erotic overtones, as the lion rather gently mounts the mare from the rear and rather than the usual biting lion, this heavily maned male looks to the side with his tongue lolling in an expression more of sexual interest than agression. 5.57 inches. Intact and choice. Museum quality.



B3026. A FINE ROMAN EROTIC OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The buffware lamp with ring handle and snubbed volute spout, on the discus the classic mythological scene of Leda and the swan, Leda nude and wearing a bracelet, armlet and anklet reclines to the left on a mat, while the swan, its powerful wings spread, rears between her thighs as it snakes its long neck to deliver a kiss with its bill. 3.75 inches. Intact and choice, a museum quality example



B3027. A FINE ROMAN EROTIC OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The grayware lamp with ring handle and volute spout, on the discus a rear view of a naked female squatting before a corkscrew pillar which supports a toilet vessel, she has her hair done up and holds what is probably a bath cloth in her right hand, the maker's mark LMADIEC stamped on the bottom. 4.2 inches. Intact and choice.



B3028. A FINE ROMAN OIL LAMP WITH A RARE MYTHOLOGICAL SCENE, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The redware lamp with volute spout, the discus with a molded scene of a robed woman standing behind a goat clasping it by the horns, a small child below raising its arms in supplication towards the goat's udder. This scene represents the myth of the she-goat Amalthea who suckled the infant Jupiter, the robed figure behind is the nymph Adrastea, who had charge, with others, of Jupiter's earliest years. The legend goes on to state that the infant Jove, while playing with his four-footed foster parent, accidentally broke off one of her horns. This was made to serve originally as a drinking cup but in later versions of the myth it is filled to overflowing with all the abundance of the field and becomes the ubiquitous Cornu Copia, the Horn of Plenty, given by the infant Jove to Adrastea. 3.75 inches. Light dendritic lime deposits on the bottom. A rare and important representation of the myth rendered in fine Classical style.



B3029. A FINE ROMAN OIL LAMP. Eastern Mediterranian, ca. 1st-3rd century AD. The lamp with vertical handle and snub spout, a very unusual mythological creature with the body of a bird and a fishes tail molded on the discus. 3.5 inches. A rare type and deserving of further study. Intact and choice.



B3030. A FINE ROMAN OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The larger pale yelloware lamp with vertical handle and snub spout, confronting busts of Isis and Zeus Sarapis molded on the discus. 4.5 inches. The Egypto-Greek cult of Isis and Sarapis spread widely through the Eastern Mediterranian in late Hellenistic and early Roman times. Intact and choice.



B3031. A FINE ROMAN OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The classic redware lamp with deeply concave discus and volute spout, on the discus a beardless male strides left. Though he holds what appears to be a club and could possibly be Hercules, he is more probably Dionysos, as he wears a goatskin and strides amoung grapevines. He looks back at what is probably a winecup which he holds in his left hand. 4.25 inches. Museum quality. Intact and choice with a wonderful classic scene.



B3032. A FINE ROMAN OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. The larger redware lamp with ring handle and volute spout, a sharp classic actor's mask molded on the discus next to the filler hole, a maker's mark stamped on the bottom. 5 inches. Intact and choice.



B3033. A FINE ROMAN OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-3rd century AD. The redware lamp of circular form with snub spout, on the discus an animated bull rearing and turning its head slightly sideways in the instant just before the charge. 3.2 inches. Intact and choice.



B3034. A ROMAN OIL LAMP, ca. 1st-2nd century AD. On the discus a bust of Zeus facing, and in the foreground his eagle with spread wings clutching a thunderbolt in his talons. 4". The bottom stamped with the name of the maker MNOVIVSTI. See an example found in Caesaria now in the Haifa Museum of Ancient Art for a nearly identical scene. Rare. Intact and in excellent condition.



B3035. A CHOICE ALEXANDRIAN DOUBLE 'FROG' LAMP, ca. 1st-4th century AD. The so called 'frog' lamps are so named by the general resemblance of the form to that of a frog. Only rarely such as in the present example do they also bear the figures of frogs, and this is the only double chambered example I've carried. 2.5 x 3.5 inches. Small knob handle lost, small hole in the side of spout. Very rare and charming example. Museum quality.



B3036. A CHOICE BYZANTINE BRONZE OIL LAMP FILLER, ca. 8th-12th century. The large bronze filler most likely from an early Church, with very ornate openwork frame and large bowl, three tiny knobs on the round base so that it stands freely. 1.4 x 4.75 x 6.2 inches. The finest example I've carried. Museum quality, extremely rare this nice.



B3037. AN BYZANTINE OIL LAMP, ca. 5th-9th century AD. The lamp with open trough spout, relatively high neck and single handle. 4.2 inches. Scarce type.




[HOME]