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LOT 0617
Late Roman Bronze Oil Lamp with Duck Head Handle
5TH-7TH CENTURY A.D.
3 3/8 in. (143 grams, 87 mm).
Hollow-formed slipper-shaped oil lamp with central filler hole and short nozzle, basal ring; the handle formed as a duck's head with open beak.
ProvenanceAcquired on the German art market, 1989-1995.
with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003.
Property of a London based academic, 2003-present.
Cf. for the type (but with different handle) 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, figs.3-4-5-6, pl.30.
FootnotesThe lamp belongs to the category of lamps with flattened spherical bodies, that have a certain number of variations in their nozzle, handle, lid and base designs. The most common form, like here, is that in which the body is heightened towards the front to form the nozzle. Many examples have oyster shell shaped lids which are connected to the body with hinges.
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Roman Bronze Phallic Pendant
1st-3rd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £85
Comprising an elongated body with splayed testes and a large suspension loop above. 8.12 grams, 35 mm
Ex German art market, 2000s. Acquired from an EU collector living in London. From the collection of Surrey, UK, gentleman. -
Roman Bronze Statuette of Pan
1st-2nd century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £1,430
Modelled in the round figure of Faunus (Pan) in active pose with one leg raised, right arm bent in front of his chest, hair and tail billowing. 96 grams, 10.3 cm
Acquired on the German art market, 1989-1995. with The Museum Gallery, 19 Bury Place, London, WC1A 2JB, 1998-2003. Property of a London based academic, 2003-present. -
Gallo-Roman Bronze Statuette of a Rider God
1st century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £182
Modelled in the round as a nude horseman with legs spread, musculature suggested to the chest and abdomen, shoulder-length hair with wavy locks, almond-shaped eyes and snub nose; right hand extended palm-upwards; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 154 grams total, 11 cm including stand
From a collection acquired on the UK art market from various auction houses and collections mostly before 2000. From an important Cambridgeshire estate; thence by descent.
The type has similarities with representations of Mercury on horseback, who is shown in an identical position. Images of Romano-Celtic rider-gods, possibly associated with the Roman god of war Mars, used similar iconography. There are a number of such rider statuettes from Roman Britain and Gaul, potentially votive offerings to a deity.
