Late Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp with The Fiery Furnace

5TH-6TH CENTURY A.D.

5 1/2 in. (175 grams, 14 cm).

With stub handle to the rear, wide rim with rosettes, the discus with an angel above three young men: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego with flames below; a low basal ring. [No Reserve]

Provenance

From the private collection of Peter Clayton, FCILIP, Dip, Arch, FSA, FRNS, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, UK; formed since the late 1950s.

Literature

Cf. Bussière, J. & Lindros Wohl, B., Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 2017, no.18, p.21, for the type

Footnotes

The scene is a depiction of the story from chapter three of the Book of Daniel. The three Jewish men, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, were thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon, for refusing to bow to the king's image. After having the three men thrown into the furnace, to his astonishment, Nebuchadnezzar saw four men walking unharmed amidst the fire, describing the fourth figure as being 'like the Son of God'.

CONDITION

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LOT 0962