Head Shaped Terracotta Lamp with Large Fill Hole

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Description: 

Head Shaped Terracotta Lamp with Large Fill Hole

1st century CE (?)

terracotta: mold-made, fabric: fine dark gray clay
height 3.9 cm
length 7.1 cm
width 5.6 cm 

Portland State University Middle East Studies Center
Bogue Lamp Collection, Lamp ID #53, PSU 082 (108)

 

Professor Anne Nicogorski, Willamette University, cited with permission

The form of this black lamp is based on that of a human head. The face resembles that of a smiling Bacchus. The large fill hole is at the top of the forehead. The nozzle is formed by an extension of the full beard. The end of the nozzle and part of the right ear-like extension are missing. Shape: Plastic lamp in the form of a satyr head; ring base; vertical strap handle now missing; large fill hole at top of head; nozzle at tip of satyr beard (broken away). Decoration: Covered w/ black slip; satyr head in relief on top with elaborate wreath consisting of ivy leaves, berries, and ribbons; no horns or ears indicated; smooth brow; deep-set eyes with upper lids and pupils indicated; broad nose with nostrils and naso-labial ridge indicated; stylized grinning mouth; full, triangular beard with patterned ridges (chevrons, zig-zags). Inscriptions: None. Condition: Mostly intact; handle missing; tip of nozzle missing; minor surface chips; slip worn away in many areas; part of left side broken away.

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.