Lamp with Christ Trampling the Beasts

Lamp with Christ Trampling the Beasts

a. Probably Tunisia, c. 5th century
b. 14.6 x 8.3 cm, molded earthenware
c. Metropolitan Museum of Art 27.94.30

Small earthenware lamps, made from double molds, were the most commonly used source of light in North Africa during the early Byzantine period. A wick produced from plant fiber or linen fabric was placed in a reservoir filled with oil, generally castor or sesame oil, and illuminated. The disc of this lamp depicts the standing figure of Christ holding a cross-staff and treading underfoot the lion, the dragon, the asp, and the basilisk. He is nimbed and flanked by flying angels. The image is enclosed by a broad rim decorated with circles enclosing the christogram (monogram for Christ’s name), foliated lozenges, and chevrons. Religious images used as decoration were thought to offer protection for the lamp’s owner.