An ancient oil lamp is an object used to produce light continuously for a period of time using an oil-based fuel source. The use of ancient oil lamps began thousands of years ago and is continued to this day, although not commonly anymore.
bend armature to follow curves of terracotta oil lamp
Large ancient oil lamp on large spider mount:
Ancient Mediterranean oil lamps, Persian oil lamps, Greek oil lamps, Egyptian oil lamps, Roman oil lamps, Athens oil lamps, DelphI oil lamps, Parthenon oil lamps, Jewish oil lamps, Jerusalem oil lamps, Byzantine oil lamps, Christian oil lamps, Holy land oil lamps, Chinese oil lamps, Islamic oil lamps, Hindu oil lamps, Daroma oil lamps, Jerash oil lamps, Ancient oil lamps, Nabatean oil lamps, Herodian oil lamps, Menorah oil lamps, Terracotta oil lamps, Samaritan oil lamps, Indian oil lamps.
Ancient Oil lampswere made of common pottery andfirst began to appear in Israel during the Neolithic Period.Throughout the centuries the shape of ancient oil lamps changed a great deal, and more elaborate designs were being implemented.
Small spider mount with wires cut back:
Spider mounts can be used for many otherartifacts such as: minerals, fossils, spheres, bronzes, Egyptian, Roman, and Greek artifacts, faience pieces, amulets, jades, terra cotta figures, byzantine, olmec, and mezcala figures, pre columbian, mayan, aztec artifacts and so on.
Small spider mount with wires uncut:
spider mount bent for ancient oil lamp:
The larger ancient oil lamps, including the ones made of metal, may or may not work with the stock armatures depending on size, shape, and weight. However, a custom mount can be fabricated by 10-31 Inc.
Another alternative for mounting ancient oil lamps is to do it yourself. Art Display Essentials has stock spider mounts that can be used for that very purpose. They come in a basic X shape. You can bend the arms up to cradle the ancient oil lamp from below, and then you cut off any excess metal that is unnecessary to hold the piece safely. This will give it a clean look. If you like you can paint the arms the same color as your ancient oil lamp to get a nice blended and non-distracting look. You can see these spider mount options here:
Art Display Essentials also has an acrylic stand for smaller ancient oil lamps which can be seen here:
Ancient oil lamps come in many sizes and shapes and are made from different materials. Typical materials are terra cotta, bronze, silver, ceramics, etc. The styles and origins can include; Persian, Greek, Chinese, Judean, Roman, Byzantine, Islamic, etc. Many of the terra cotta oil lamps have a nozzle, pouring hole, and a handle. Typically, these ancient oil lampsare mounted from underneath with a metal or acrylic armature to properly support it safely. Most ancient oil lamps look nice on a slight angle down with the nozzle at the lower end. 10-31 Inc. has been custom mounting ancient oil lamps for over 30 years and makes a very nice stand for these pieces. This gives the lamp a nice smooth custom fit and (for metal armatures) you can paint the metal to match where it touches the oil lamp so it blends without distraction.
spider mount not yet bent for ancient oil lamp:
Ancient lamps wereoval shaped, and flat on top. Theyactuallyhadsmall bowls on one end,with the other end pinched real tight which formed a groove to hold the cotton or flax wick.One end of the wick would even float in the olive oil.Some of the lamps had a lid over the bowl. They were usually made of clay, but the more expensive lamps were made of bronzeand sometimes even of gold.Some of these were very beautiful andwould contain very elaborate decorations,manyRoman lamps had images of their gods.