Lamp in the Shape of a Bull's Head

Place of OriginEgypt

DateEarly Roman Period, about 30 BCE - 100 CE

Dimensions2 3/4 in. (7 cm)

MediumMold-made, slip-decorated terracotta.

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Credit LineGift of Florence Scott Libbey

Object number

1925.629

Not on View

Label TextThis terracotta lamp, molded in the shape of a bull’s head, likely represents the Apis bull, one of the most revered sacred animals in ancient Egypt. The living Apis bull resided in Memphis in a grand stable, where his movements were interpreted as oracles. Upon the bull's death, it was mummified and interred in the Serapeum at Saqqara, a vast underground necropolis. A new Apis bull was selected through a nationwide search, identified by distinctive markings such as a white triangle on its forehead and black, wing-like patches on its body.Published ReferencesPeck, William H., Sandra E. Knudsen and Paula Reich, Egypt in Toledo: The Ancient Egyptian Collection at the Toledo Museum of Art, Toledo, Toledo Museum of Art, 2011, p. 100, repr. (col.).