Object Description
An ancient Roman terracotta oil lamp featuring a decorated, concave discuss and a rounded nozzle. The discuss depicts a hippocamp, a mythical creature with a terrestrial upper body and the tail of a fish. In this example, the hippocamp has the head and torso of a lion. Wide shoulder with radiating grooves frame the discus and a solid handle rises at the back. The filling-hole and the now blocked air hole are located in the lower part of the discus, above and below the creature’s body. The reverse features a subtle ring foot. This lamp belongs to the Loeschcke VIII; Bussiére form D X 2, characterised by the rounded shoulders with a decor of slanted rays and a rounded nozzle.
Date: Circa 1st – 4th Century AD