Terracotta oil lamp

Roman

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 168

Loeschcke Type 8. Mold-made, with ring handle. Discus: in high relief, an eagle standing facing with wings at sides and head turned upward to right; a single filling hole towards right edge, and two grooves flanking a raised band at edge of discus; a broad, sloping, and undecorated shoulder. Two incised lines on front edge of handle. An incised base ring, and a shallow concave base.

Intact.

The eagle was the symbol of the Greek Zeus and the Roman Jupiter, the father of the gods. Under the Romans, the bird also became associated with the emperor and so acquired an imperial connotation.

Terracotta oil lamp, Terracotta, Roman

This image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.