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LOT 0213
Byzantine Bronze Oil Lamp
6TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
5 3/8 in. (376 grams, 13.7 cm).
Comprising: a squat body and large nozzle with shallow socketed rim, hinged lid to filler-hole with striped pattern, handle formed with lobed cross and loop to rear, annular foot.
ProvenanceFrom the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.
LiteratureCf. Gökalp, Z.D., ‘Some examples of Byzantine bronze lamps in Turkish Museums’ in Actes du 1er Congres International d’etudes sur le Luminaire Antique (Nyon-Geneve, 29.IX-4.X.2003), Monographies Instrumentum 31, (2005), pp.69-71, fig.7, pl.30; Lafli, E., Buora, M., 'Roman, Early Byzantine and Islamic Bronze Lamps from Southern Anatolia' in Archiv Orientalni, 82, 2014, pp.431-458, pls.1 no.4 and pl.2 no.2, for nearly identical specimens.
FootnotesThe great success of this type of lamp in the Eastern Roman Empire brought about the establishment of several production centres, as can be confirmed by the frequent appearance of some of the details, e.g., the shape of the lid or of the cross and the length of the spout. Despite their wide distribution across Asia Minor, Greece and the Balkan Peninsula, these lamps also spread throughout Syria and reached Egypt, Morocco and even central Europe.
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LOT 0213
Byzantine Bronze Oil Lamp
Estimate £500 - 700€580 - 810 (for guidance only)$680 - 950 (for guidance only)
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Byzantine Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp with Animal Head and Cross Below
5th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £46
Slipper-shaped body in plan with double rim around the filler hole, stub nozzle, lug handle in the form of a goat's head, scrolls, cross and other decoration to the shoulder, low basal ring. 72.3 grams, 10.5 cm
From a collection of lamps of a late Scottish gentleman, 1970-1990s. -
Byzantine 'Greek Fire' Ceramic Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade
9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £111
Bulbous, undecorated body with flat base; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 660 grams, 10.4 cm
From an important specialist collection, London, UK, 1990s. Accompanied by an academic paper by military specialist Dr Raffaele D'Amato, dated 15 July 2019 and titled 'Eastern Roman Empire - Greek Fire Bomb or Hand Grenade (μεσαίον kακάβιον) 9th-11th century AD'.
Apart from the use of siphons or manual flame-throwers called cheirosiphona, special corps of Roman soldiers employed terracotta grenades, in the form of small jars, abundantly evidenced in archaeological excavations. They were called μεσαία kακαβιά or κυτροκακάβια where the former had a bulbous shape and the latter a more cylindrical form. -
Byzantine Terracotta Oil Lamp
Circa 6th-8th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £52
A slipper-type oil lamp with a herringbone design and a low relief basal ring. 64 grams, 90 mm
Acquired on the UK art market from the 1990s. From the private collection of a Lincolnshire, UK, gentleman.
