A fine example of a Roman factory firmalamp in orange terracotta. The discus is plain with a filling and air hole, two solid lugs on the perimeter. The base is flat, marked by concentric circles and clearly stamped with the maker's name: STROBILI.
Circa 67-100 AD.
Excellent condition, complete and intact.
Length: 11.2 cms (4.4 ins).
Provenance: From the M. C. F. collection, Switzerland. Acquired in 2018 from the Lukas Kalchhauser Collection, Vienna; previously in the Austrian B. K. collection, acquired in the 1970s - 1980s.
For the type, see item 442: Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum: Jean Bussière and Birgitta Lindros Wohl.
Firmalampen, or "factory lamps," were one of the first mass-produced goods in Roman time. They carried brand names clearly stamped on the underneath, and were sold on the markets of three continents. Strobilus has been regarded as the possible inventor of the Firmalampe (factory lamp) and was certainly one of the earliest makers of this type. Strobili is the possessive form (genitive case) of the maker's name and signifies who made the product (much as we use the possessive form of brand names like Kellogg's or Levi's in English today).