Bussière form D X 5

These lamps are characterized by a shoulder decor of vine-leaves and grapes. The Italic lamp cat. 389 and the eastern examples cats. 390 and 429 have shoulder forms not recorded in Loeschcke’s classification and nozzle forms Bus. 10b. The nozzle underside of cats. 389 and 391 is decorated by a typical motif consisting of rays between curved lines. This decor, quite common on African lamps of the third century, should not be considered exclusively African, for cat. 389, which bears it, comes from an Italic workshop. The three other lamps are African and have Loeschcke shoulder form VII a and nozzle form Bus. 10c. Discus decors: mythology (4 ex.); daily life (1 ex.); and plain discus (1 ex.).

Four lamps have a base-ring. On cats. 389 and 391–92 this base is decorated with three ovo motifs evenly spaced between two circular grooves (for the motif, see Bussière 2000, p. 235, no. 76, fig. 54). This motif, which is often found on African lamp bases (e.g., cat. 365, Bus. form D X 1c), appears also on the Italic lamp cat. 389. One lamp has a base marked off by one circular groove; another a slightly raised base. Cat. 389 is signed CPOMPO, an Italic workshop active at the end of the second century A.D.; cat. 393 is signed CHELIAN, an African workshop of A.D. 175–225. Bus. form D X 5 is dated from the end of the second century to the first third of the third century.

Additional objects of this type: cat. 429.