The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 13, 2024

Candelabrum

Candelabrum

100–1 BCE
Overall: 137.4 cm (54 1/8 in.)
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This lamp and stand were not found together, but illustrate how they would have been used in antiquity.

Description

This bronze is a candelabrum, or ancient lamp stand. A long, fluted column extends from a base on lion or panther paw feet, with ivy leaves between. Atop the column sits a miniature bronze krater, a mixing vessel for wine, with a circular top which supports a separately made lamp. Wealthy Romans would light their homes with bronze oil lamps. The small, portable lamps would be placed on lampstands like this one to light larger spaces.
  • Milliken, William M. “Part II. Annual Report Issue for the Year 1953.” The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 41, no. 6 (1954): 131–74. Mentioned p. 144 www.jstor.org
  • {{cite web|title=Candelabrum|url=false|author=|year=100–1 BCE|access-date=13 September 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.11