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Lamp with Griffin-Head Handle

300s–400s CE
Medium
bronze
Measurements
Overall: 14.7 x 22.6 x 7 cm (5 13/16 x 8 7/8 x 2 3/4 in.)
Public Domain
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Description

Bronze oil lamps with griffin-head handles and Christian symbolic decoration were common from the 4th through the 6th centuries and have survived in considerable numbers all over the Mediterranean world. The popularity of griffins, ancient mythological creatures with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle, is probably rooted in their traditional role as powerful guardian figures and protectors. On this Early Byzantine bronze lamp, the griffin seems to have functioned similarly as a guardian of the flame and a keeper of the light. The decoration of an everyday utilitarian object with both pagan and Christian symbols of protection may mark an effort to enhance its power.
A dark gray bronze lamp features a boat-shaped body with a spout on the left and a curved handle shaped like a griffin's head on the right. The creature's neck is lined with four globular protrusions, and a raised cross marks the side. Two chains rise from the body to join a single vertical chain ending in a hook. Light reflects softly off the patinated surface of the aged metal.

Lamp with Griffin-Head Handle

300s–400s CE

Byzantium, Syria(?), Byzantine period

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