HAN DYNASTY (206 BC - AD 220)

A very similar bronze oil lamp, also dated to the Han dynasty, is illustrated in The Complete Treasures of the Palace Museum - Bronze Articles for Daily Use, Hong Kong 2006, no. 90. Like the present lamp, it is inscribed yi zi sun ji ('blessings for future generations'), in the center panel of one cover. Another similar lamp is illustrated by C.F. Kelley and Chen Mengjia in Chinese Bronzes from the Buckingham Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, 1946, p. 199, pl. LXIX.