Collection Online as of December 1, 2023

Lamp

late 300s

Part of a set. See all set records

Byzantium, Syria?, early Byzantine period, late 4th century

Silver

Overall: 9.2 x 16 x 7 cm (3 5/8 x 6 5/16 x 2 3/4 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1954.597.a

Location

104 Late Antiquity

Description

Numerous oil lamps of various shapes and sizes have survived from the late Roman and early Byzantine periods. Most served a basic utilitarian function and were plainly fashioned from clay or bronze. However, a few more elaborate examples, such as this one, have survived in silver. Embellished with an elegant horse-head handle, this lamp was made to fit on the nearby stand, thus offering its owner flexibility of function.

Provenance

reportedly found near Latakia, Syria. (Milton Girod, Sarthe, France).

Citations

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 52 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 37 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 37 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 35 archive.org

Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 46-47, no. 6

Exhibition history

Bavarian Nationalmuseum, Munich (5/10/2007 - 9/16/2007), the J. Paul Getty Musuem, Los Angeles (10/30/2007 - 1/20/2008) and Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN (2/13/2009 - 6/7/2009): "Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art"

Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art. National Museum of Bavaria, Munich, Germany (May 10-September 16, 2007); J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA (October 30, 2007-January 20, 2008); Frist Art Museum, Nashville, TN (February 13-June 7, 2009).