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Source Description
Bronze oil lamps with griffin-head handles and Christian symbolic decoration were common from the 4th through the 6th centuries and have survived in considerable numbers all over the Mediterranean world. The popularity of griffins, ancient mythological creatures with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle, is probably rooted in their traditional role as powerful guardian figures and protectors. On this Early Byzantine bronze lamp, the griffin seems to have functioned similarly as a guardian of the flame and a keeper of the light. The decoration of an everyday utilitarian object with both pagan and Christian symbols of protection may mark an effort to enhance its power.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
147981
label
Lamp with Griffin-Head Handle
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
147981
contentType
object
title
Lamp with Griffin-Head Handle
description
Bronze oil lamps with griffin-head handles and Christian symbolic decoration were common from the 4th through the 6th centuries and have survived in considerable numbers all over the Mediterranean world. The popularity of griffins, ancient mythological creatures with the body of a lion and head and wings of an eagle, is probably rooted in their traditional role as powerful guardian figures and protectors. On this Early Byzantine bronze lamp, the griffin seems to have functioned similarly as a guardian of the flame and a keeper of the light. The decoration of an everyday utilitarian object with both pagan and Christian symbols of protection may mark an effort to enhance its power.
date
300s–400s CE
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60762080
genreSpecific
Metalwork
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 14.7 x 22.6 x 7 cm (5 13/16 x 8 7/8 x 2 3/4 in.)
cul
Byzantium, Syria(?), Byzantine period
accession
1974.77
Source extras
tec
bronze
tombstone
Lamp with Griffin-Head Handle, 300s–400s CE. Byzantium, Syria(?), Byzantine period. Bronze; overall: 14.7 x 22.6 x 7 cm (5 13/16 x 8 7/8 x 2 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Chester D. Tripp in honor of William Mathewson Milliken on his 85th year, 1974.77
collection
MED - Byzantine
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 35
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art, and Holger A. Klein<em>. Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art.</em> Cleveland, Ohio: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2007.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 48-49, no. 7
creditline
Gift of Mrs. Chester D. Tripp in honor of William Mathewson Milliken on his 85th year
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:36:01.688000
sourceId
147981
dept
Medieval Art
coll
MED - Byzantine
med
bronze
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
4bb6f6d30a6021e4