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A BRONZE MORTAR AND OIL LAMP, LATE ROMAN TO EARLY ISLAMIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST MILLENNIUM AD
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09月10日 下午5点 开拍 / 09月08日 下午3点 截止委托
拍品描述

Description

A BRONZE MORTAR AND OIL LAMP, LATE ROMAN TO EARLY ISLAMIC PERIOD, CIRCA 1ST MILLENNIUM AD
This lot is a museum deaccession and is therefore offered without reserve

Western Asia, Byzantium and/or Persia. The mortar of hemispherical form everted rim set with a long narrow spout, small loop handle, and a flange decorated with a circular motif. The small oil lamp with a compressed globular body surmounted by a circular mouth flanked by a tri-lobed foliate handle and the spout issuing from a beast head. (2)

Provenance: Galerie Hardt (established in 1976), Radevormwald, Germany, before 2020. Acquired by the gallery’s founder Peter Hardt (b. 1946) during his extensive travels in Asia, the first of which occurred during a formative world tour in 1973. Throughout his storied career, Peter Kienzle-Hardt organized countless exhibitions and participated in major international art fairs. He made many important contacts during this time and eventually met the Kienzle siblings, who shared his passion for Asian art and culture. A strong bond and deep friendship developed, ultimately leading to the creation of the Museum für Asiatische Kunst decades later in 2014. While the museum’s permanent exhibition predominantly comprised pieces from the Kienzle Family Collection, Peter Kienzle-Hardt supplemented it with objects from his own collection. Before his death in 2019, Horst Kienzle bequeathed his entire property to Peter and legally adopted him as his son, who has been using the name Peter Kienzle-Hardt ever since.
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Expected wear, traces of use, manufacturing irregularities, signs of weathering, encrustations. The filler with two minor stress cracks, one with associated old repair, and minor losses. The lamp with small losses to the spout.

Weight: 99 g (total)
Dimensions: Length 7.5-9.1 cm

Bronze oil lamps like this one, rooted in late Roman and Byzantine traditions, continued to be used and adapted well into the early Islamic period. Cast in a compact and elegant form, this example features a narrow, flared spout and a stylized handle. Its modest size suggests a personal use, perhaps in travel, devotional practice, or domestic ritual. Bronze lamps were prized not only for their durability but also as refined objects that bridged utility and aesthetic appeal. Pieces like this offer a glimpse into the intimate rhythms of ancient life, where even the smallest sources of light carried great significance.

Mortars of this type, distinguished by a small central well, flanged handles, and an elongated horizontal spout, have long intrigued scholars and collectors alike. Examples have been unearthed in some of the great cities of antiquity and the early Islamic world, including Antioch, one of the most important cities of the Greco-Roman world and later a regional capital of both the Roman and Byzantine Empires, which changed hands multiple times during the Byzantine-Arab wars (7th–11th centuries); Ctesiphon, the opulent seat of the Parthian and later Sasanian Empires, known for its monumental arch and cosmopolitan culture; and Nishapur, a flourishing Silk Road hub under the Sasanids, Islamic Caliphates, and Seljuks, famed for its ceramics, scholars, and refined urban life.

The precise function of these vessels remains a subject of debate. Theories have ranged from oil lamps to feeding devices for infants, but the most compelling interpretation points to a more specialized use in the preparation and transfer of cosmetic or medicinal substances. The hemispherical body may have functioned as a shallow mortar, ideal for grinding fragrant resins, mineral pigments, or scented oils. Once prepared, the mixture could be poured cleanly through the narrow spout into small flasks or ampullae, minimizing waste and allowing for precise transfer.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related larger Roman oil lamp, 14.7 cm long, dated to the 1st century AD, in the Musée Saint-Raymond, accession number 25707. Compare a related larger Byzantine griffin-headed oil lamp, 22.6 cm long, dated 4th-5th century, in the Cleveland Museum of Art, accession number 1974.77. Compare a closely related mortar, excavated in 1938 in Nishapur, Iran, dated 9th-10th century, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object number 39.40.51.

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价格信息

拍品估价:150 - 300 欧元 起拍价格:100 欧元  买家佣金: 35.00%

拍卖公司

Galerie Zacke
地址: Sterngasse 13, 1010 Vienna, Austria
电话: 0043-1-5320452
邮编: 1070
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