144 - Roman oil lamp, 1st–2nd centuries AD.

Roman oil lamp, 1st–2nd centuries AD. Terracotta. Measurements: 10.2 cm long Provenance: Family bequest from Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. Archaeological collection assembled beginning in the 1950s by successive generations of the family through acquisitions at European galleries and auction houses. This piece belonged to a private collection, M.S., Barcelona. The objects in the Barcelona-based M.S. collection were acquired over a period of twenty years from various galleries and auction houses across Europe. The word “lucerna” comes from the Greek “lukno.” Its basic function was to provide light, but it was also used as a votive and funerary object. The earliest oil lamps were made by hand, then on a potter’s wheel, and from the 3rd century B.C. onward, using molds. The mold consisted of two dies, one for the upper part and another for the lower part. The mold-making technique involved pressing the clay into the dies and then joining the two parts together. Finally, the handle was added.