Oil lamps, or a lychnus, from the Greek λυχνος, were commonplace throughout the Roman Empire, and were used for domestic, public, and religious purposes. These included funeral ceremonies, lighting up businesses, and creating ‘special effects’ at the theatre. The oldest Roman lamps date back to the third century BC, and it is thought that they were influenced by the Southern Italic style. These were more enclosed than their predecessors, allowing for further decoration on the discus. The vast trade networks set with the expansion of the Roman Empire allowed this item to be spread across Europe, Eastern Asia and Northern Africa, which led to the development of several provincial variations.
By time of the Roman Empire, depictions of Venus bathing was a common decorative motif, found on vases, oil lamps, such as this piece, as sculptures in the gardens of the wealthy, on coinage, and on frescos. However, when the Greek sculptor Praxiteles first created the marble statue now known as the Aphrodite of Knidos, which depicted the goddess bathing, it was the first monumental depiction of a female nude. Greek art was previously dominated with depictions of the nude male form in heroic situations, so the choice to depict the goddess not just nude, but also engaging in such a mundane act as bathing was striking. This marble statue established the canon for the proportions of the female body in sculpture and added to a growing discussion about the worship of the gods. Though it does not survive today, its cultural significance cannot be understated, with Pliny declaring it superior to all other statues in the world. Its continued influence on the ancient psyche is clear from this oil lamp.
To discover more about the ancient origins of oil lamps, visit our relevant post: Oil Lamps in Antiquity.