4509 - Collection of Five Roman Terracotta Oil Lamps, 1st–5th century CEA collection of five Roman oil lamps, varying in size and color from light to darker

Collection of Five Roman Terracotta Oil Lamps, 1st–5th century CEA collection of five Roman oil lamps, varying in size and color from light to darker reddish-brown tones. The scenes on the discus depict nude or erotic encounters, with varying degrees of preservation. One lamp preserves a particularly clear scene of two figures engaged in sexual intercourse. The remaining lamps feature nude figures in erotic or standing poses, although the details are less clearly preserved. The shoulders are decorated in various ways, either plain or with decorative motifs such as stripes. The group illustrates the presence and variety of erotic imagery in Roman lamp decorations, with the discus serving as the primary surface for the figural scenes. L. 9.2–12.5 cm Provenance: Private Dutch collection, collected between 1970 and 1974 by a collector working for the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, stationed in North Africa. [5]