Bassam Barakat Antiquities

Description

Plate Oil Lamps in Two books, Sacred Bounty Sacred Land, Joan Goodnick Westenholz. NO.241 Oil lamps of the Holy land, The Adler Collection 2004.
NO.978 (Steve J. Adler Collection/ Bassam Barakat Collection)

North African-Style Oil Lamp Decorated with a palm Tree Red fired clay Carthage,
Date: North Africa 4th/5th Century CE.

Decorated on the discus with a palm tree, with a triangular trunk, three pairs of long, thin leaves and a seventh triangular leaf at the top of the tree.
Two triangular bunches of dates hang either side of the Tree.

Around the discus is a recessed panel Decorated with alternating motifs of four petalled flowers and concentric circles.
There are two small filling-holes either side of the tree, cutting slightly into the ends of the bottom leaves.
This type of lamps originated in North Africa and is closely related to the north African red slip ware.
Their exact origin is Unknown. Some suggest Tunisia, while others suggest Egypt and Cyrenaica.
The lamps are finely made and are covered with a smooth, thick red slip.
The lamps have an elongated or ovoid shape.
The nozzle is long and has a trench on it, with no decorations.
The wide shoulders are Decorated with geometric design motif, which can be figure, animal, palm tree, Cross, Menorah, flower or a biblical scene.

Dimension: 14.1 Cm ; diameter, 8.3 Cm.

These lamps are found throughout the entire Mediterranean countries and were imitated locally.

Published: Goodnick Westenholz 1998 no. 241.
Noam Adler, oil lamps of the holy land 2004.