Terracotta oil lamp

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Loeschcke Type 1A. Mold-made. Deep concave discus: a gladiator, standing facing backward, wearing a crested helmet, short trunks, and boots, and holding a long, rectangular shield in one hand and a weapon (concealed by his body) in the other; single filling hole near center between his legs, surrounded by a broad band of lines and grooves at edge. A funnel-shaped channel, with a small central slit, runs from the discus towards the large wick hole. Volutes flanking angular nozzle. Base ring outlined by two concentric lines. The gladiator is heavily armed and so can be recognized as a samnis (Samnite) or murmillo. Here, unusually, he is shown as being left-handed. Complete except for base, which has been carefully cut out, perhaps in antiquity. On the discus, a gladiator, seen from the rear, advances to the fight away from the viewer. He is heavily armed and so can be recognized as a samnis (Samnite) or murmillo. Here, unusually, he is shown as left-handed.

Greek and Roman Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of Greek and Roman art comprises more than thirty thousand works ranging in date from the Neolithic period (ca. 4500 B.C.) to the time of the Roman emperor Constantine's conversion to Christianity in A.D. 312. It includes the art of many cultures and is among the most comprehensive in North America. The geographic regions represented are Greece and Italy, but not as delimited by modern political frontiers: Greek colonies were established around the Mediterranean basin and on the shores of the Black Sea, and Cyprus became increasingly Hellenized. For Roman art, the geographical limits coincide with the expansion of the Roman Empire. The department also exhibits the art of prehistoric Greece (Helladic, Cycladic, and Minoan) and pre-Roman art of Italic peoples, notably the Etruscans.

Metropolitan Museum of Art