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Lamp in the Form of a Foot with a Serpent
(Roman Empire )
This lamp is shaped like a foot wearing a sandal and is topped by a rod with a serpent crowned by a sun disk. Lamps played an important role in the rituals connected to the solar aspects of Harpocrates and Serapis, as well as in the Isis mysteries. The Serapis-foot demonstrated the god's eternal presence. These feet were mostly combined with a bust of the deity, and this lamp likely had such an image of Serapis on the lid.
Provenance
Provenance (from the French provenir, 'to come from/forth') is the chronology of the ownership, custody, or location of a historical object. Learn more about provenance at the Walters.
Giovanni Dattari, Cairo, [date and mode of acquisition unknown]; Lambros-Dattari Sale, Hotel Drouot, Paris, 1912, June 17-19, 1912, p. 53, no. 460; Henry Walters, Baltimore, 1912, by purchase; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.
Exhibitions
| 2002 | Serapis: The Creation of a God. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. |
| 1983 | Designed for Use: Ancient Industrial Arts. The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore. |
Conservation
| Date | Description | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| 5/16/1983 | Treatment | cleaned; other |
Geographies
Roman Empire (Place of Origin)
Measurements
4 1/4 x 1 5/16 in. (10.8 x 3.4 cm)
Credit Line
Acquired by Henry Walters, 1912
Location in Museum
Not on view
Accession Number
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
In libraries, galleries, museums, and archives, an accession number is a unique identifier assigned to each object in the collection.
54.1190