Byzantine Terracotta Slipper Oil Lamp with Cross

Slipper-type with a wide nozzle and a handle at the rear, discus with a wreath surrounding the filler hole, and a low basal ring. 86.3 grams, 10.1 cm



From the collection of a Yorkshire, UK gentleman, items collected in the Holy Land in the 1960s.

Columnar stem with conical base extending to a square-section shank. 18.8 grams, 31 mm



From the collection of a gentleman, acquired on the London art market in the 1990s.

Stamping in antiquity and in the Roman Empire was under strict regulations, and it was not limited to food and liquid containers. Bricks and tiles used in construction were impressed with the names of magistrates, workshops, estate owners from whom the material came, and the names of individual makers. Among the myriad Late Roman stamps, a great number were to mark bread or containers holding flour and other foods, as well as a variety of liquids such as wine, oil, fish and fruits preserved in sauces, medical ointments, and even water. It is interesting to note as the Jewish symbols here engraved are very stylised: as mentioned by various scholars, the Jewish representations of shofar and lulav on this category of stamps degenerated in quality in Late Antiquity, and this is why they are variously dated between the 4th and the 7th century.

Piriform body with short nozzle and a stub handle on the rear, raised linear decoration on the body, base with a sunwheel motif. 100 grams, 89 mm



From the collection of a Yorkshire, UK gentleman, items collected in the Holy Land in the 1960s.