Roman Pottery Oil Lamp w/ Bear

**First Time At Auction**

Roman, Imperial Period, ca. 1st to 3rd century CE. A lovely mold-formed pottery oil lamp displaying a stylized bear within the tondo. The lamp presents with a flat base containing an impressed planta pedis (maker's mark) that reads, "MNOVIVST," gradually swelling walls, a rounded shoulder, and a pierced, tab-shaped handle. The recessed tondo presents a striding, right-facing bear with an open mouth, a perky tail, and dozens of slender impressions representing tufts of fur, and in front of the tondo is a semicircular wick spout. Size: 4.3" L x 2.9" W (10.9 cm x 7.4 cm)

Provenance: East Coast collection, New York Gallery, New York City, New York, USA, acquired before 2010

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#152941
Condition Report: Loss to small area of shoulder and top of tondo as shown. Minor abrasions and nicks to handle, body, bear, and wick spout, with light encrustations. Wonderful preservation to bear within tondo as well as planta pedis lettering beneath base.