Description

The handleless picture lamp shows a dove sitting on an olive branch. It probably comes from workshops in Gaul or what is now Switzerland.

Such picture lamps were produced in large numbers in molds. To do this, the potter first made a model (male mold) out of clay, which was then fired. A two-part mold - often made of plaster, less often made of clay - was taken from the patrix, and called the matrix. Thin clay plates were pressed into this mold and then assembled into a complete lamp after a drying process. Before firing, the lamps were dipped in a fine clay slip, which produced a beautifully shiny varnish.