Lamp

Art Historical Context

This delicate earthenware lamp, crafted by an unknown artist between the nd and 7th, offers a glimpse into the early formative years of Islamic art. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic Art department (acquired through the Rogers Fund in 6), it exemplifies the from late antique traditions—rooted in Byzantine and Sasanian influences—to emerging aesthetic of the Islamic world. Such lamps were ubiquitous in regions like Syria, Egypt, Mesopotamia, where they lit homes, mosques, and spaces during an era of cultural synthesis and expansion. Made from molded earthenware, the piece high...