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LOT 0952
Roman Terracotta Oil Lamp
CIRCA 3RD CENTURY A.D.
3 5/8 in. (101 grams, 91 mm).
Squat bulbous body with broad pelletted shoulder, stub nozzle and lug handle with lateral depressions. [No Reserve]
ProvenanceProbably by descent from the vendor's father-in-law circa 2006.
From the private collection of a Devon, UK, lady.
Cf. Bussière, J., Lindros Wohl, B., Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Malibu, 2017, p.383ff., for the type, esp.no.525.
FootnotesThe lamp belongs to the Eastern variant of Loeschcke VIII type. Most of these lamps were made in Ephesus, where several wasters of Loeschcke type VIII lamps have been excavated. Comparative neutron activation analyses of clays have proved the manufacture of Ephesus lamps at Sardis as well as at Ephesus, and we may conjecture the existence of other production centres, for example, Pergamon, where an excavated kiln has yielded a mould and a lamp of Late Asia Minor type.
CONDITIONTimeLine Auctions follows a vetting process to ensure the authenticity and legality of all items, reinforcing our commitment to integrity and responsible trading. Each antiquity, antique, and coin lot undergoes thorough examination by a vetting committee of at least ten external specialists, professional trade association members, scientists, and archaeologists: Our Vetting Process
AUCTIONS:
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Roman Brown-Black Glass Bangle Pair
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Each plano-convex in section in chestnut-tinted glass. 44 grams total, 80-87 mm
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Roman Red Jasper Gemstone with Eagle
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Roman Terracotta Bullae, Tesserae or Token Group
3rd century B.C.-1st century A.D.Sold for (Inc. bp): £7
A mixed group of ceramic bullae, tesserae or theatre tokens bearing low-relief motifs, mainly consisting of profile busts of deities. 34 grams total, 13-19 mm
From the private collection of a European gentleman (1942-2024), formed since the 1970s.
The term 'tessera' was used in Roman times to convey the Greek term σύμβολον (token). Small tiles are known as tokens, often shaped like coins, made of metal (copper, lead, iron), clay, bone, wood, or glass, stamped as well as engraved. The tokens, however, are not exclusively coin-shaped, as the Latin term 'tessera' suggests by etymologically referring to a square or at least a four-sided shape and confirmed in several cases by material remains of the past. Tokens and tesserae seem to have been used both in Athens and Rome for the distribution of goods. According to written sources, the term token is identified with credentials of the official authorities. They have also been interpreted as tokens of identity, as entrance tickets to theatre performances, tribunals or assemblies of citizens, archival material of seal engraving, as pawns in games, Charon’s obols and even as amulets.
