A RARE BRONZE FOLDING OIL LAMP, DENG, HAN DYNASTY

拍品描述

A RARE BRONZE FOLDING OIL LAMP, DENG, HAN DYNASTY Expert’s note This ingenious lamp was designed as a compact, folding device. When closed, the upper section forms a protective cover over the oval reservoir, allowing the lamp to be safely stored or transported. For use, the hinged cover is raised and turned into the actual lamp tray: oil was poured into the shallow receptacle, while the wick was secured on the upright conical pricket and extended toward the projecting nozzle, where it was lit. The lower ear-cup-shaped compartment served primarily as the protective casing when the lamp was folded away. The combination of reservoir, wick support, nozzle, and hinged protective case represents a particularly sophisticated form of portable lighting developed during the Han dynasty. China, 206 BC-220 AD. The oval body modeled in the form of an ear cup with rounded sides and fitted with a hinged cover. When opened, the cover rises to form a shallow oil reservoir with a projecting pointed nozzle and an upright conical pricket for securing the wick. When folded down, the oval body encloses and protects the lamp assembly. Unlike all comparables below, this lamp shows absolutely no incised decor, so it is probably one of the earlier examples from this corpus. Dimensions: Length 14.5 cm Literature comparison: Compare two closely related bronze oil lamps dated to Han dynasty in the Palace Museum, Beijing, object numbers 新00098164 and 新00111816. Compare a related inscribed bronze oil lamp, dated Han dynasty, 9.8 cm long, illustrated in The Complete Treasures of the Palace Museum - Bronze Articles for Daily Use, Hong Kong, 2006, no. 90, p. 108. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 22 March 2013, lot 1245 Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 38,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the related form and casting manner. Note the decoration and the size (10.2 cm).

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