Oil Lamp

8th century

Not on view

Returned to lender

This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.

The decoration on the clay lamps, small objects designed for daily use, in the exhibition helps chart the transformation of Byzantium’s southern provinces into lands central to the Islamic world. Largely produced at the important city of Gerasa (Jerash) in Jordan, the lamps came with a variety of decorations—Christian crosses and inscriptions, Greek and Arabic inscriptions on the same lamp, and ones inscribed only in Arabic.
This lamp is inscribed in Arabic "Blessings from God for ‘Amir son of Kharaj."

Artwork Details

Overview

Signatures, Inscriptions, and Markings

Exhibition History

Title: Oil Lamp
Date: 8th century
Geography: Made in Jordan, Gerasa (Jerash)
Medium: Buff-red ware
Dimensions: 3 7/16 x 1 x 2 3/8 in. (8.8 x 2.6 x 6 cm)
Classification: Ceramics
Credit Line: Jerash Archaeological Museum, Jordan (683)
Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters