Lucerne. Rome, 1st - 3rd century AD.

Lucerne. Rome, 1st - 3rd century AD.
Terracotta.
Provenance: Private collection, Paris, France.
Condition: complete piece, with partial loss of engobe and deposits typical of its age.
Measurements: 9,7 cm long.

Roman terracotta lucerna of sober design, with circular deposit, frontal spout and elevated rear handle. The central disk, practically smooth and framed by concentric moldings, responds to a functional and refined typology, in which the clarity of the form prevails over the figurative decoration.

This type of oil lamps illuminated domestic, funerary or ritual spaces, forming part of the most common gestures of daily life in antiquity. Its value lies precisely in this close and functional dimension: a simple but essential object that connects directly with the uses and environments of the Roman world.