Oil Lamp
Unknown Artist
4th–7th century
Medium
Earthenware
Dimensions
Overall: 1 7/16 x 2 7/8 in. (3.7 x 7.3 cm)
Classification
Ceramics
Culture
Coptic
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1925
Accession Number
25.10.24.11
Art Historical Context
This delicate earthenware oil lamp, by an unknown Coptic artisan between the 4th and 7th centuries, offers a glimpse into everyday life early Christian Egypt. Measuring just 1 7/16 x 2 7/8 inches, its modest size made it perfectly portable for homes, tombs, or places of worship, where olive oil and a wick would have provided essential illumination in an era before widespread electric light. In the vibrant Coptic culture—blending ancient Egyptian traditions with Christianity—these ceramic lamps held both practical and symbolic importance. Earthenware, fired clay abundant in the Nile Valley, wa...