Early Christian Oil Lamp with Chi-Rho Monogram

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Early Christian Oil Lamp with Chi-Rho Monogram

Artist Unidentified

Period Roman Empire (Ancient Roman, 27 BCE-395 CE)

Place of OriginNorth Africa or Rome

Date5th-6th century CE

Dimensions1 3/8 × 2 3/16 in. (3.5 × 5.6 cm)

MediumMold-made earthenware (terracotta) with slip

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Credit LineGift of Dr. Arthur F. Bissell

Object number

1912.1263

Not on View

DescriptionA mold-made terracotta oil lamp characterized by a circular body and a protruding nozzle. The central sunken discus is decorated with a Chi-Rho monogram (Christogram) in relief. A channel connects the discus to the nozzle. The shoulder borders the discus with decorative motifs (obscured by incrustation in documentation images). A solid handle or lug projects from the rear.

Label TextThis small clay lamp would have fit in the palm of a hand, providing a flickering light for a Roman household or a tomb. The central decoration features the Chi-Rho, a monogram formed by superimposing the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ (Chi and Rho). Following the Emperor Constantine's adoption of Christianity in the 4th century, symbols like this replaced pagan deities on everyday objects, signaling the owner's faith. Millions of such lamps were produced in North Africa and Italy, serving as both practical lighting and votive offerings in graves. This specific example was purchased by an American traveler in Rome in 1872, just after the city became the capital of unified Italy.Exhibition HistoryThe Dayton Art Institute, The Roman World: Religions and Everyday Life (featuring the Brooklyn Museum exhibition: Tree of Paradise: Jewish Mosaics from the Roman Empire), Sept. 21, 2007 - Jan. 6, 2008.

Toledo Museum of Art, The Egypt Experience: Secrets of the Tomb, October 29, 2010-January 8, 2012.

Comparative ReferencesSee also Perlzweig, Judith, Lamps of the Roman Period, pl. 39, 40.