Artifact - Antiquity - Terracotta Oil Lamp With Pecten Shell Decor - Roman Empire

Period: Last third of the 1st century AD Origin: Mediterranean (Probably Italy or Roman provinces) Provenance: Private collection, Auvergne - Puy-de-Dôme A lamp with a pointed spout and double volutes – A precise typological model This Roman terracotta oil lamp, classified as Type Bussière B III 2 b and Loeschcke IV, is a well-identified model in the typology of antique lamps. Its decoration is centered on a pecten shell, an emblematic motif often associated with maritime and funerary beliefs, symbolizing the passage between the world of the living and that of the dead. It has a structure typical of lamps with a long pointed spout, with two double volutes continuing under the spout, a flat band and a circular reservoir with a biconvex profile. The absence of a handle and the presence of a cupped disk delimited by three concentric grooves confirm its belonging to the productions of the 1st century AD. Description • Material: Molded terracotta • Shape: Lamp with an ogival spout with double volutes, without handle • Decoration: Pecten shell in relief on the central disk, surrounded by concentric grooves • Base: Circular and slightly raised, delimited by a groove State of preservation • Fragmentary in situ, broken and reglued • Visible losses, particularly at the level of the spout and the upper wall Symbolism and use in Antiquity Roman lamps were not only functional objects: they played a role in religious and funerary rituals. • The pecten shell, associated with the cults of Neptune (Poseidon), evokes travel, protection and the transition to the afterlife. • This type of lamp was frequently used in homes, temples and necropolises, serving for lighting but also for votive and funerary practices. Dimensions • Length: 11 cm Bibliography consulted • Bussière, Rivel (2012): Antique Lamps of the Mediterranean. The Rivel Collection, Oxford. • Chrzanovski (2006): Light! Lighting in Antiquity, Milan. • Bussière (2000): Antique Lamps of Algeria, Montagnac. • Robin Petitot (2000): Catalogue of Greek and Roman Lamps in the Museum of Ancient Arles, Arles. • Bailey (1980): A Catalogue of the Lamps in the British Museum, II. Roman Lamps made in Italy, London. • Deneauve (1969): Lamps of Carthage, Paris. • Loeschcke (1919): Lampen aus Vindonissa, Zurich. • Dressel (1899): Lucernae formae, in CIL XV, II, 1, Berlin. ALL DELIVERIES ARE MADE BY DHL EXPRESS ONLY.