Roman terracotta oil lamp, mould-made in orange-buff clay, with a circular discus depicting a  homoerotic scene of a man engaged in intercourse, standing behind having sex with nude lean young partner kneeling at right. The lamp has a central filling hole, a small vent hole before the rounded nozzle, and a vertical lug handle at the rear. The base with the old collection number in black.
 
Ancient Roman eastern Mediterranean: Circa 200-300 AD.
 
Complete and intact: the scene worn, a small shallow hole on the perimeter and with a few white accretions.
Length 11.6 cms (4.6 ins)
 
Provenance: From an old German collection, 1960's-1970's Literature: For the type cf items 317 and 318; Ancient Lamps in the J. Paul Getty Museum; Jean Bussière and Birgitta Lindros Wohl.
 
See our blog posts on oil lamps