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LOT 1169
Byzantine Terracotta Candlestick Oil Lamp with Triskele
HOLY LAND, CIRCA 5TH-8TH CENTURY A.D.
3 1/4 in. (70 grams, 81 mm).
Transverse ribs in the shoulder and a large triskele on the nozzle, with a low basal ring. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceEx Ancient Art Shop, Windsor, UK, 1990s.
Ex private West County, UK, collection.
Cf. M¥ynarczyk, J., ‘Terracotta oil lamps from Qumran: the typology’ in Revue Biblique, January 2013, T.120-121, pp.99-133, no.048 (AF 187), for the type.
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AUCTIONS:
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9th-11th century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Bulbous body with pointed base and domed filler-hole, a circumferential band above the shoulder; intended to be filled with explosive liquid and a wick, and used as a hand grenade. 276 grams, 87 mm
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 Bronze Oil Lamp
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Formed as a stylised bird with a hemispherical body, U-shaped nozzle forming the head, two projecting wings with incised decoration, and a large flaring tail forming the handle with a central cross motif, three stub legs on the underside. 65.9 grams, 12 cm
From an important collection of lamps, Germany, 1970s. -
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