Conical Lamp with Blue Blobs
Conical Lamp with Blue Blobs
Place of OriginEastern Mediterranean, likely Syria or Egypt
Date4th century CE
DimensionsH: 2 15/16 in. (7.5 cm); Rim Diam: 3 5/8 in. (9.3 cm)
MediumBlown, wheel-cut glass with applied decoration
ClassificationGlass
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number
1954.29
Not on View
DescriptionA conical, free-blown glass vessel with a flaring rim ground to a horizontal edge and a rounded base that prevents the object from standing on its own. The vessel is composed of transparent decolorized glass with a grayish yellow-green tinge (5 GY 7/2) and contains numerous small to medium-sized ovoid bubbles. The exterior is decorated with three evenly spaced, deep wheel-cut horizontal grooves. The central body features a band of applied translucent dark royal blue blobs arranged in four alternating groups: two single large blobs and two inverted triangles each composed of six smaller blobs.
Label TextThis conical glass vessel, likely used as a lamp, illustrates the Late Roman taste for colorful, applied decoration. Crafted from pale, greenish glass, it features a distinctive pattern of dark royal blue "blobs"—applied as hot glass to the surface—arranged in alternating single drops and inverted triangles. Three wheel-cut grooves encircle the body, adding texture to the sleek profile. Because the base is rounded, this vessel could not stand on a table; instead, it would have been placed in a metal holder or suspended in a lighting fixture (polylychnon) to illuminate a room.
4th century CE
about 4th century CE
Late 6th - 5th century BCE
1st century BCE - 4th century CE
6th- 7th century CE
Probably 6th century, BCE, possibly later
3rd - 5th century CE
6th through 5th century BCE
6th - 5th century BCE
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