Description:

**First Time At Auction**

Rome, Imperial Period, 1st to 2nd century CE. This is a pair of mold-made Roman terracotta oil lamps with simple geometric decorations. From the first millennium BCE, these small lamps became ubiquitous throughout the Mediterranean as the most sophisticated means of lighting. The lamps are essentially a vessel to contain fuel (almost always olive oil) and a place for a wick (often made of linen or papyrus) to be placed and burn. Lamps made of pottery are some of the most common artifacts found in Roman excavations, with single sites often yielding hundreds of examples. Neither of these lamps have maker's marks, which has been taken to be a sign of local production and use; in some areas of the Roman Empire, particularly northern Italy, there was large-scale manufacturing and export of stamped oil lamps. Size of largest: 3-1/2" L x 2-3/4" W x 1" H (9 cm x 7 cm x 2.5 cm).

Provenance: Bates Collection, Clarksville, IA, ex-Joel Malter Collection, acquired before 1990

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#110688

  • Condition: Both are intact with no signs of repair; one has a much heavier patina than the other, but the decorative details on both are visible.

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January 30, 2017 10:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $299 $25
$300 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,000
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 $199,999 $10,000
$200,000 + $25,000