**First Time At Auction**

Roman Empire, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. This stylish mold-made glazed slipware vessel sports a flay incised ring base, sloping bottom sides, rounded shoulders, protruding ear-shaped side handles, a thin pierced handle for holding, a recessed bowl with a small fill hole, and a grooved channel feeding into a small wick spout. The channel features an incised curved linear design arching between the sides, and the word "GABINIA" has been incised into the base. Size: 4.125" L x 2.75" W x 1.625" H (10.5 cm x 7 cm x 4.1 cm).

While "GABINIA" may sound like the name of this lamp's creator, it may actually refer to the "Gabiniani," a group of 2,500 Roman soldiers that were abandoned in Egypt by the general Aulus Gabinius around 55 BCE. The Gabiniani were left in Egypt in order to protect Ptolemy XII, the reinstated king on the throne of Egypt, however things were not so simple. After being effectively ostracized from the Roman Republic, the Gabiniani took on the manners and techniques of their new home and created new families, ways of societal contribution, and even works of art.

Provenance: private Orange County, California collection, acquired before 2000

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#121798

Previous repair to back handle as well as near wick spout, surface wear commensurate with age, minor char marks near wick spout, and fading throughout to glaze.