An Early Islamic Green-Glazed Pottery Oil Lamp in the Form of a Bird, Syria (Bilād al-Shām), 8th–9th century
SKU: BIRDCH
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A rare early Islamic pottery oil lamp modelled in the form of a bird, attributed to the Umayyad period or the immediate post-Umayyad continuation of ceramic production in Greater Syria during the 8th–9th century.
The lamp is formed as a stylised bird with a rounded body, gently rising neck and abstracted head. A slim rectangular aperture is cut through the beak, with a circular filling hole to the tail, confirming its original use as a functional domestic oil lamp rather than a purely decorative object. The piece stands on a small integral foot.
The surface is covered in a rich copper-green lead glaze, characteristic of early Islamic ceramics of the Levant, pooling and thinning naturally across the contours of the earthenware form.
Rare early Islamic zoomorphic oil lamps reflect the continuation of late Byzantine and Sasanian traditions within an emerging Islamic visual language.
A highly evocative and tactile object.
- Width: 6 cm (2.36″)
- Height: 11 cm (4.33″)
- Depth: 15 cm (5.91″)
