Roman Republican Oil Lamp

Modelled in the round nude and and raising her right arm, holding the neck of the swan (her animal attribute); left arm descending towards her pubis, legs in contrapposto stance; gusseted drum-shaped base; repaired. 327 grams, 19.5 cm



Acquired in the mid 1980s-1990s. From the family collection of Mr S.A., Switzerland, thence by descent. Private collection since the late 1990s. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by a search certificate number no.12099-218223.

Although the presence of the swan in this position is rather rare, iconographically, this image is part of the abundant series of statuettes of Aphrodite/Venus widely distributed during the Roman Imperial era.

Substantial hollow-formed drum-shaped body with waisted nozzle, lateral integral lion-mask, stepped discus with leaf detailing, pelta-shaped reflector plate to rear with lateral wreath detailing and palmette motif; three-bar caged handle beneath. 1 kg, 23.3 cm



Acquired on the German art market in 1987. Ex Gorny and Mosch, 18 December 2013, no.502. Accompanied by an academic report by Dr Raffaele D’Amato. This lot has been checked against the Interpol Database of stolen works of art and is accompanied by search certificate number no.12346-225410.

This lamp belongs to the typology of ‘rounded bodies and volute spines’, typical of 1st or early 2nd century A.D. These lamps had fairly shallow and round-walled oil-chambers with long flat-topped nozzles with splayed tips (here very shallow). The majority of these lamps are of Italic manufacture, and similar have been found in Pompeii (see lamp in Ashmolean Museum ANFORTNUM B.186).

Cuboid with impressed spots to each face, disposed 1:3, 2:4; 5:6. 56 grams, 19 mm



Acquired on the European art market since the early 2000s. From the private Northern Ireland collection of R.M.