Lamp with Christ Trampling the Beasts

Small earthenware lamps, made from double molds, were the most commonly used source of light in North Africa during the early Byzantine period. A wick produced from plant fiber or linen fabric was placed in a reservoir filled with oil, generally castor or sesame oil, and illuminated. The disc of this lamp depicts the standing figure of Christ holding a cross-staff and treading underfoot the lion, the dragon, the asp, and the basilisk. He is nimbed and flanked by flying angels. The image is enclosed by a broad rim decorated with circles enclosing the christogram (monogram for Christ’s name), foliated lozenges, and chevrons. Religious images used as decoration were thought to offer protection for the lamp’s owner.