A Roman oil lamp type Loeschcke IV in brown terracotta with fine volute nozzle. a frontal bust of a comical actor with theatre mask. The base is stamped with the maker's mark / workshop name, GABINIA.
Circa 80-140 AD.
Complete and intact
Length 10.7 cms (4.2 ins)
Provenance: Ex Gorny & Mosch auction 222, Munich 2014, lot 502; from an Austrian private collection. acquired 1978-1984.
Gabinia was an ancient Roman oil lamp maker active between approximately 90 and 140 CE, primarily in central Italy. Lamps attributed to Gabinia are typically crafted from terracotta and exhibit the volute form, characterized by a discoid body, loop handle, and projecting spout. The undersides of these lamps are often stamped with the name "GABINIA," indicating their origin from this workshop.