Cleveland Museum of Art

Lamp

Date

100–1 BCE

Medium

bronze

Culture

Italy, Roman

Department

Greek and Roman Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Bronze lamps like this one were used to create artificial light. A wick was placed in the nozzle and oil poured into the opening below the handle. Here the handle terminates in an elaborate boar’s head, with its bristly hair indicated with tiny lines. When the lamp was lit, figural handles, like this boar, would cast complex and interesting shadows. This lamp and stand were not found together, but illustrate how they would have been used in antiquity. Romans used olive oil as their main lamp fuel.

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