
<p>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.</p>
Catalogue
- Year
- 25
- Medium
- Bronze
- Dimensions
- 11.5 × 21.7 × 14 cm (4 1/2 × 8 1/2 × 5 1/2 in.)
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
More
More by this artist
Cameo Portraying Tiberius
1525 · Gold, sardonyx, enamel, and pearl
Bottle
701 · Glass, blown technique
Lamp
500 · terracotta
Coin Portraying an Emperor
450 · Silver
Coin Depicting an Emperor
400 · Bronze
Tremissis (Coin) Portraying Emperor Arcadius
394 · Gold
Record
Verified by WattsOSSource
- Collection
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Source
- aic
- Reference
- View at source
- Status
- verified
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