Loading, please wait...

Use mousewheel to zoom in and out, click to enlarge

Details

LOT 0110

Very Large Roman Bronze Oil Lamp with Actor's Mask

1ST-2ND CENTURY A.D.

11 in. (10 7/8 in.) (1.97 kg, 28 cm wide (4.31 kg total, 27.5 cm high including stand)).

With an elongated body and a long nozzle with a rounded tip; raised rim enclosing the upper face with an ivy lef-shaped filling hole; wide handle terminating to a female tragic mask with a palmette below the chin, the hair dressed in ringlets with two rows of curls to the brow, eyes inlaid with silver; accompanied by a custom-made display stand.

Provenance

Old private British collection, pre-1965.
Property of a gentleman; acquired in the UK before 2000.

Accompanied by a copy of an old black and white photograph and 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 a search certificate number no.12033-215424.

Literature

Cf. Bailey, D.M., A catalogue of the lamps in the British Museum, IV, Lamps of metal and stone, and lampstands, London, 1996, no. Q3669 (said to be from Rome) for identical, and Q3670 (preserved only in the identical mask); many other similar examples are from Pompeii, see Valenza Mele, N., Museo Nazionale Archeologico di Napoli, Catalogo delle Lucerne di Bronzo, Rome, 1981, nos.344-345; from the Western Provinces, see Rolland, H., Bronze Antiques de Haute Provence, Paris, 1965, no.357; and from the East, see Bérard, C., Bronzes Hellénistiques et Romains, Lausanne, 1979, pl.116, 7 and 10; cf. also Mitten, D.G., Doeringer, S.F., Master Bronzes from the Classical World, Cambridge, 1967, no.297, for identical, and Edgar, C.C., Greek Bronzes, Catalogue général des antiquités égyptiennes du Musee du Caire, Cairo, 1904, pl.12H.

Footnotes

The lamp is of Loeschke type XX (Walters type 6), with many of these lamps made in Italy, but some are also found in the East. The tragic mask appears frequently on lamp handles, probably as an apotropaic subject. The mask was an inseparable element of unity with the past and religious context.

CONDITION

VETTING:

TimeLine 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:

TimeLine is a leading auction house specialising in antiquities, ancient art, collectables, natural history, coins, medals, and books. Our auctions offer museums, collectors, historians, and enthusiasts the opportunity to acquire unique and historically significant pieces.

LOT 0110

Very Large Roman Bronze Oil Lamp with Actor's Mask

Sold for (Inc. bp): £5,720

Print page

RELATED LOTS

  • Roman Bronze Phallic Pendant
    Roman Bronze Phallic Pendant
    1st-2nd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £312

    Composed of two projecting arms formed as erect phalli, smaller male genitalia to the centre, large loop above. 11.7 grams, 42 mm



    UK private collection before 2000. On the UK art market. Property of a London gentleman.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Bronze Statuette of Triton Sounding a Horn
    Roman Bronze Statuette of Triton Sounding a Horn
    1st-2nd century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £442

    Bare-chested with fish-tail extending to the rear, raising a periwinkle-shell horn to his lips; left arm supporting a ship under sail; mounted on a custom-made display stand. 65 grams total, 64 mm 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 small statuette was possibly part of a scene representing Poseidon and Amphitrite. The riches of the sea and the dangers of navigation were merged by the ancients into a famous myth known as the wedding procession between Poseidon and the Nereid Amphitrite. Involved in the procession were nereids, tritons and hippocampi.

    Lot Details

  • Roman Gold Ring with Bird Gemstone
    Roman Gold Ring with Bird Gemstone
    4th century A.D.

    Sold for (Inc. bp): £364

    Comprising a round-section hoop supporting a cup-shaped bezel, inset domed garnet engraved with a standing bird. 2.39 grams, 23.97 mm overall, 17.15 mm internal diameter (approximate size British N, USA 6 1/2, Europe 13.72, Japan 13)



    Ex property of a late Japanese collector, 1970-2000s.

    Lot Details

Stay up-to-date with the latest from TimeLine Auctions by joining our mailing list