Frog Style Terracotta Lamp with Protruding Nozzle and Frog Relief

Description: 

Frog Style Terracotta Lamp with Protruding Nozzle and Frog Relief

terracotta: mold-made, fabric: fine buff fabric. Munsell: 10 YR 7/3 very pale brown
height 4.2 cm
length 10.9 cm
width 9.9 cm

Portland State University Middle East Studies Center
Bogue Lamp Collection, Lamp ID #90, PSU 053 (81)

 

Professor Anne Nicogorski, Willamette University, cited with permission

This lamp has a very distinctly separated thick, pierced nozzle protruding from its large ovoid body. The pierced fill hole is surrounded by an incised circle. The design on this frog lamp consists of incised lines making a somewhat checkered pattern. There is a visible crack marking the point of juncture of the two halves of the lamp. The bottom bears a distinct potter’s mark. Shape: Round bodied lamp with slight ring base, rounded profile, and central fill hole surrounded by small, slightly concave discus and broad extended nozzle, rounded at termination. Decoration: Frog lamp. Relief on top consisting of a highly stylized frog; hind legs and triangular cross-barred tail opposite nozzle; fields of checkerboard design and hatching on either side; slight volutes where nozzle joins body; band of ladder pattern on top of nozzle. Inscriptions: Potter's mark on bottom. Condition: Intact; completely cracked in two pieces along join between upper and lower halves; minor surface chips.