CIRCA 5TH/EARLY 6TH CENTURY A.D.

Details

FIVE EARLY CHRISTIAN POTTERY LAMP FRAGMENTS
CIRCA 5TH/EARLY 6TH CENTURY A.D.
Comprising the upper part of a red ware lamp, the pierced discus depicting Abraham sacrificing Isaac, the border with decorative circles; a similar lamp showing Christ triumphant flanked by two angels, treading on the asp, with lion below and basilisk to the left, holding staff with cross; the upper part of discoloured lamp depicting the Three Hebrews wearing Phrygian caps and a fourth figure standing before the enthroned Nebuchadnezzar, alongside a column surmounted by bust of himself, a border of foliate motifs; and two lamp fragments depicting borders with bearded heads representing the Apostles, one with traces of a Christogram
5¼ to 2 in. (13.2 to 5 cm.) long (5)

Provenance

European private collection, acquired in the early 1990s.

Exhibited

Item one: Byzanz: Das Licht aus dem Osten, Erzbischöflichen Diözesanmuseum, Paderborn, 2001, no. 11.15.2.

Special notice

No VAT will be charged on the hammer price, but VAT at 15% will be added to the buyer's premium which is invoiced on a VAT inclusive basis. Please note that the lots of Iranian origin are subject to U.S. trade restrictions which currently prohibit the import into the United States. Similar restrictions may apply in other countries.

Lot Essay

PUBLISHED:
Item one: Exhibition catalogue, Byzanz: Das Licht aus dem Osten, Mainz, 2001, pp. 221-222, no. 11.15.2

Item two: for the type, cf. C. Lyon-Caen, Catalogue des lampes en terre cuite grecques et chrétiennes, Paris, 1986, p. 102, no. 48. "Thou shalt walk upon the asp and the basilisk: and thou shalt trample under foot the lion and the dragon" (Psalm 90:13).

Item three: this depiction is taken from the Old Testament (Daniel 3:23-26) and was adopted into Early Christian iconography as a foreshadowing of the resurrection of Jesus. The Three Hebrews were sentenced to death in a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar but emerged unharmed and accompanied by an angel. The depiction of the Sacrifice of Isaac (Genesis 22:1-14) depicted on item one was also widely used as a symbol of Jesus and a precursor to his resurrection.

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