Title
Oil lamp
Year/Period
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 CE)
Region
China
Material
Technique
Dimension
Object size: H26.8 x W11.4,
x Mouth: Dia6.5 cm
x Mouth: Dia6.5 cm
Accession No.
C-1427
Collection of
Credit Line
Purchased with funds from The Shaw Foundation
This green-glazed oil lamp is moulded in the shape of a kneeling figure with a child. She wears a tall cylindrical headdress that would have held oil.The oil lamp is a funerary item that would have belonged a group of 'mingqi' or burial ware made for the ruling elite to provide for their afterlife.The custom of making burial wares was an ancient practice. It was believed these wares were necessary for the deceased in the next world. Elaborate groups of burial wares were also a display of wealth and social status.
