Oil Lamp (c. 50 BCE–50 CE): Art, History and Details

Oil Lamp (c. 50 BCE–50 CE) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

This large and ornate cast bronze oil lamp features a central hole for filling and a single spout for its wick. Its extravagant handle rises to create both a loop and a sort of hook, one or both of which may have served to suspend the lamp when lit. Alternatively, the lamp may have stood on its own, perhaps atop a tall lampstand. While its primary function may have been for lighting dark spaces, this lamp must also have served an ornamental purpose.

Object facts

• Title: Oil Lamp
• Date: c. 50 BCE–50 CE
• Culture: Roman, late Republican-early Imperial (c. 50 BCE – 50 CE)
• Type: Metalwork
• Technique: Bronze, cast
• Dimensions: Overall: 28.7 x 17.8 cm (11 5/16 x 7 in.)
• Collection: GR - Roman
• Department: Greek and Roman Art
• Accession number: 2023.104

A detail from the museum

When used, this lamp likely hung from the ceiling or stood on a tall lampstand.

Collection credit

Gift of Barbara S. Robinson and Family

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.