Almond Shaped Terracotta Lamp with Zig-Zag Relief

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Description: 

Almond Shaped Terracotta Lamp with Zig-Zag Relief    

terracotta: mold-made, fabric: fine clay with lots of mica and some inclusions; color varies. Munsell: 7.5 YR 6/4 light brown
height 5.5 cm
length 10.5 cm
width 6.9 cm

Portland State University Middle East Studies Center
Bogue Lamp Collection, Lamp ID #74, PSU 011bis (20)

 

Professor Anne Nicogorski, Willamette University, cited with permission

This fictile lamp of a modified almond shape (having two lumps on the sides resembling handles) has a zig-zag pattern of lines and dots around its top and pierced fill hole. Its loop handle extends from and over the back edge of the top to the raised rim that surrounds the fill hole.  The nozzle is wide and the wick hole is large. Shape: Round-bodied lamp with flat base; long triangular nozzle with rounded termination; central fill hole within concave discus set off by circular ridge; unpierced shoulder lug on either side; high vertical loop handle opposite nozzle. Decoration: No slip.  Relief decoration on top: irregular zig-zag pattern surrounding fill hole on discus; outside of discus is another concentric zig-zag band with small raised dots on outer points of zig zags. On top of nozzle, large rosette with depressed central circle and seven rounded petals, filled with field of small raised dots. Inscriptions: None. Condition: Mostly complete; burning around wick hole; chip around fill hole; surface 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.