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• 1 media/1985.046sm.jpg 2016-04-07T13:28:55-07:00 Bronze Lamp 1 6 plain 2016-04-07T14:08:07-07:00 13.883,99.800 (Wall Label)
• 1 media/1985.046.jpg 2016-04-07T12:51:00-07:00 "Ancient" Bronze Lamp 5 Roman-esque lamp, possibly forgery plain 2016-04-07T13:06:34-07:00             During the time of the Roman Empire, artisans created a number of object for both conventional use and to show one’s wealth. Made out of clay and bronze, lamps were one of such objects, with bronze being a highly specialized material and not mass produced. Most likely created using Lost Wax casting, the lamp would have been a fairly unique piece. Furthermore, the industry for bronze artifacts was much smaller but included larger objects that were sold as luxury goods, whereas the clay industry mass produced lamps that could be used by many. In the height of the Roman Empire, their influence had expanded around the Mediterranean and beyond, participating in trade with many different cultures reaching as far as the Indian subcontinent. Through this trade and influence of foreign peoples on the Romans, different cultural styles were blended together by artisans.
              Interestingly, an almost identical lamp has been found in Pong Tuk, Thailand (Siam), showing the vast distances that some of these object could travel. However, it is unlikely that this lamp was made specifically for the Southeast Asian peoples, due to its seemingly mostly Roman style. Nonetheless, it is possible to imagine it being traded to merchants, who then brought it to the area that is now Yemen in the 2^nd century AD. From there it could have been traded to merchants on their way to India, and after some time, perhaps 500 years later, traded between two rich families into the area of Pong Tuk, where it was then dug up by archeologists in the early 20^th century.
              However, the lamp that is displayed here is (most likely) a very good reproduction, and not authentic. The hinge on which the lid sits is not original, but furthermore, the lamp itself resembles the one found at Pong Tuk. It is believed that this was created soon after the Pong Tuk lamp had been found, due to the similarities between the two.