Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 2nd to 4th century CE. A lovely bronze oil lamp cast via the lost wax (cire perdue) process with a swan neck/head handle. The pear-shaped lamp body has a rounded, hooked wick spout, raised shoulders which surround a recessed tondo with three fill holes, all supported atop a flat teardrop-shaped foot. Oil lamps such as this were filled with olive oil, had a wick placed inside the spout, and were used to light homes, shops, holy places, and many other locations throughout the Roman world; in fact, they were among the most ubiquitous objects in antiquity. Enveloped in a sage green patina, this is a truly exceptional example from the Roman Empire! Size: 6.875" L x 3.625" H (17.5 cm x 9.2 cm)

The swan played a complex role in Greek and Roman mythology - as an attribute of Venus/Aphrodite and Apollo, said to sing a song of unearthly beauty as it dies, and as the form assumed by Zeus to ravish Leda, mother of Helen of Troy.

Scholars have noted that bronze lamps, with their increased cost over pottery lamps, were a type of heirloom, most likely reserved for the richest households. Bronze lamps are theorized to have been in a family for at least three generations because of their high value.

Provenance: private Davis collection, Houston, Texas, USA; ex-private Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom collection

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#138721

Normal surface wear commensurate with age, but details of eyes, beak, and neck frill are very well preserved. The bronze vessel has attained a gorgeous green patina over time.