Replica of an Early Christian Lamp

Artist Unidentified

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

Place of OriginItaly, Rome

Date19th century (before 1872)

Mediumbronze

ClassificationUtilitarian Objects

Credit LineGift of Dr. Arthur F. Bissell

Object number

1912.1265

Not on View

DescriptionA ceramic oil lamp featuring a bronze rooster handle, which is affixed using a metal screw and crude soldering.

Label TextThis lamp features a handle in the shape of a rooster, a bird often associated with the rising sun and, in Christian contexts, the Resurrection. When the donor purchased this piece in Rome in 1872, he believed it to be an authentic relic used by early Christians hiding in the catacombs. However, museum research in 1967 revealed a tell-tale sign of modern manufacture: the rooster is attached with a metal screw. While the ancient Romans knew of the screw, they used it for industrial machines (like presses), not for assembling fine bronze objects. This lamp is now recognized as a 19th-century forgery, created to meet the high demand for "Early Christian" antiquities by Grand Tour travelers.