Lamp

About this artwork

This lamp was meant to be suspended from polykandela, or chandeliers, which hung from the ceiling. The early Byzantines, like the Romans before them, typically burned olive oil for light. Lamps made from glass such as this were more expensive than the numerous surviving terracotta examples, and they were likely used to light the most important part of a church, such as, the altar or the nave. Keeping the lamps lit was costly, and generous donors gave endowments to churches to literally keep the ...

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 and tooled technique—highlights Byzantine mastery of this craft. Glassblowing, refined since Roman times, allowed artisans to create thin-walled, lightweight vessels with precise shaping using simple tools. This method enabled mass production of affordable lighting devices, filled with oil and a wick, making light accessible across social classes and underscoring glass's role in daily life and religious rituals. Though unadorned, its compact form and transparency evoke the era's blend of functionality and subtle beauty, reminding us how ordinary items preserved Byzantine ingenuity through centuries of trade and innovation.

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...