III. Roman-Period Clay Lamps / Types from both Western and Eastern Provinces of the Roman Empire / Augustan and Imperial Lamps

Bailey type B group v, with handles

239
240
241
242

Four Getty lamps (cats. 239–42) are classified as Bailey type B group v, despite a few differences. According to Bailey, this type is “a mixed group of lamps of Loeschcke type IV, . . . all furnished with handles” and “all with rounded shoulders” (Bailey BM II, p. 180). This is not the case for cats. 239–41, which have flat shoulders. However, since Bailey includes in his group v two lamps without a handle (Q 955 and Q 956), may we assume that there could also be some exceptions concerning the absence of rounded shoulders? Beside handles, all four Getty lamps have ear handles, a feature not seen among the thirteen lamps of Bailey group v. About the ear handles decorating BM lamp Q 755 (belonging to Bailey’s type A group i), he says: “this type of handle is an occasionally recurring feature on many lamp types over a long period of time, and it cannot be regarded as a chronological pointer” (BM II, p. 128). However, in order to avoid creating further subdivisions, we will keep Bailey’s classification.

Cat. 239 has a base-ring marked off by two grooves. Cats. 240–42 have a flat base marked off by one circular groove. Two have workshop signatures: cats. 240 and 242 a plain planta pedis; and cat. 241 has an incised tria nomina, COPPIRES. The number of discus decors is too small to point to any preference: a goatherd, Bacchus, and two geometrical decors. For cats. 241 and 242 we will accept Bailey’s date for his group v: Claudian to Flavian.

Banner image: Detail of cat. 239