A Roman terracotta oil lamp with ornate volute nozzle. The scene represents the mythological tale of Hercules' infant son Telephus being nurtured by a doe on the slopes of Tegea. A standing doe, turning its head to lick Telephus, while breastfeeding him.
NB. Not supplied with display stand.
Circa 1st century AD.
Fine condition; complete and intact.
Length 9.2 cms (3.6 ins).
Provenance: Madame Suzanne Gozlan then by descent.
Mrs. Suzanne Gozlan (1921-2022), Doctor in History and Archaeology, professor at the Ecole Normale d'Instituteurs de Chartres and lecturer at the University of Paris 4 Sorbonne.
Reference: Lyon-La Butte: Hanotte 2003, n. 22, p. 488 and fig. 10, p. 490; Analogies and parallels:
Parallel: Bailey 1980, discussion on Italian lamp Q 813, p. 38-39
Lamps with such iconography have been found at Augst, Vindonissa and Carthage. In Gaul, the La Butte workshops in Lyon are known to have copied it on volute lamps.
