Lamp
6th century
Medium
Glass, blown and tooled technique
Dimensions
12.3 × 8.9 × 8.9 cm (4 7/8 × 3 1/2 × 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
lamp (lighting device)
Department
Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
67385
Art Historical Context
This delicate 6th-century Byzantine lamp, standing just under 5 inches tall, offers a glimpse into the everyday brilliance of the early Byzantine Empire. Crafted during the reign of Justinian I, when Constantinople flourished as the heart of the Eastern Roman world such lamps illuminated homes, workshops, and sacred spaces. Belonging to the Art Institute of Chicago's collection Arts of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium, it exemplifies the practical yet elegant objects that bridged classical Roman traditions with emerging Christian culture. The lamp's medium—glass formed through the innovative blown...
About the Artist
Byzantine
"Byzantine" is the collective attribution given to anonymous artists working within the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, whose creations spanned from the 4th to the 15th centuries, primarily in Constantinople and its cultural sphere. These masters produced a vast body of art that defined an era, with museums like the Walters Art Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago cataloging numerous works un...