Almond Shaped Terracotta Lamp with Keyhole and Kufic Relief

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Description: 

Almond Shaped Terracotta Lamp with Keyhole and Kufic Relief

Islamic

terracotta: mold-made, fabric: fine buff clay, some small inclusions. Munsell: 10 YR 7/3 very pale brown
height 4.1 cm
length 10.2 cm
width 7.3 cm

Portland State University Middle East Studies Center
Bogue Lamp Collection, Lamp ID #99, PSU 188 (194)

 

Professor Anne Nicogorski, Willamette University, cited with permission

This grey almond-shaped lamp has raised relief decorations that consist of keyhole design around large fill hole and extending to pierced wick hole, and also kufic writing on the upper surface. The pyramidal handle sits well back on the lamp. Entire lamp is well worn. Shape: Almond-shaped slipper lamp with very slight almond-shaped ring base; body profile sharply carinated; large central fill hole w/ vertical lip; wick hole at pointed end of body; vertical triangular handle opposite wick hole; depression in body form where handle is attached. Decoration: Relief decoration on top consisting of raised keyhole-shaped ridge surrounding fill hole and extending to wick hole; two shallow relief herringbone bands on axis between holes. Raised Kufic-style pseudo-inscription on shoulder. Inscriptions: None. Condition: Intact except for chips around nozzle and other minor surface chips; very worn.

Protocol: 
Portland State University Middle East Studies Center - Public Access
Community: 
Portland State University Middle East Studies Center
Category: 
Ceramics, Utilitarian Objects
Keywords: 
Lamp
Rights: 
Image reproduced with permission from Portland State University Middle East Studies Center. The institutions that house the specific Medieval Portland objects ultimately hold the rights to their image and reproduction; the images are provided here as a courtesy by those institutions and are for non-profit, educational use only.