Lot 729
An Interesting North African Lamp. Carthage, c. 4th-5th century AD. Lamp of good size, and molded in a deep red brown ware, with similar glaze. Lamp with circular body and elongated nozzle. Handle fin-like and unpierced. Motif a most fascinating slice of daily life: sitting in what appears to be treehouse in a tall tree, a musician plays his flute while below a hound chases a hare(?). At left, a smaller man tugs a rope leading to the construction, on top of which a bird sits. On lamp's raised shoulders, an elegant arabesque of vines, leaves, and grape bunches. Handle top chipped, otherwise lamp complete and finely preserved. Length: 6". Subjects on North African lamps fall mainly into two categories: religious or mythological. Thus, daily life scenes are rare and worthy of note.
Estimated Value $600 - 800.
The "treehouse" is more likely a blind, or elaborate net trap for catching game. Thus we see here a hunting scene reminiscent of many such scenes uncovered on the famed mosaics of Carthage. From various ancient sources musicians are known to be employed among the sometimes vast entourages that formed around large hunting ventures. For other lamps, cf. especially, Ennabli, Lampes Chrétiennes de Tunisie, no. 76, perhaps from the same mold, and nos. 77ff for variants. Apparently the cataloger displays uncertainty as to the motif. Citing examples in the Musee Alaoui, no. 76 is described as "chasseur," a hunter. However, no. 80, which is a slight variant to the above lamp (missing only the bird and perhaps the hound), the subject is noted as Orpheus, the mythic musician who could tame savage animals with his singing.
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