-
CHAPTER 33: Lamps
- Texas A&M University Press
- Chapter
- Additional Information
The candelabra were usually circular, suspended by three chains, with apertures around their outer edges, commonly six, and in their centers, at least from the fifth to twelfth or thirteenth century, as shown by a fifth-century Byzantine example, two sixth-century Byzantine candelabra from Constantinople, one from sixth- to seventh-century Syria, and a Persian example from the twelfth or thirteenth century. Variations in the disk-shaped candelabra with three chains include one with nine apertures, from the sixth to eighth century in the eastern Mediterranean; a tenth- to eleventh-century Syrian example with three apertures; and a fourteenth-century Egyptian example with 12 apertures in an outer row, nine in an inner row, and one in the middle. A seventh-century candelabrum with four chains has apertures for 16 lamps. Candelabra were also made in other shapes. An unusual Byzantine example from the fifth century is in the form of a basilica; two Islamic candelabra from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are multisided and multitiered, with large numbers of apertures. The suspended lamps from Serçe Limanı are separated into eight subtypes on the basis of shape. Some of the subtypes probably reflect the vagaries of glassblowing more than conscious efforts at stylistic differences. Although suspended lamps are not uncommon, the Serçe Limanı lamps do really match well the published lamps from al-Mina in Syria, Beirut in Lebanon, Samarra in Iraq, Fustat in Lower Egypt, Soba in the Sudan, Salamis on Cyprus, Bet Shean or Jalame in Israel, Aidhab on the Red Sea coast, or those without balls at Debeira in Nubia and Winchester in England. Fragments of at least 247 glass lamps were recovered from the wreck (Fig. 33-1). It is doubtful that any of these were intact at the time the ship sank, so all may be considered part of the cargo of broken glass. This conclusion is reinforced by the fact that virtually no lamp fragments were found in what we believe to have been living spaces on the ship. In the catalog below, site locations of fragments are given by grid squares when known. The lamps are grouped in three major types: Type I, suspended lamps; Type II, standing lamps; and Type III, mosque lamps (Pls. 28 and 29). TYPE I. SUSPENDED LAMPS Fragments of 105 suspended lamps were identified, but in only five cases was it possible to restore a complete profile, in part because it is difficult to distinguish lamp shards from thousands of plain beaker shards of similar thickness and diameter . The suspended lamps from Serçe Limanı are in the form of cup-shaped bowls on stems that usually taper down to balls at their lower extremities; they are similar to earlier bowl-andstem lamps and bowl-bodied lamps. Fig. 33-2 depicts a typical suspended lamp, with its parts labeled. The cups rested in the round apertures of metal chandeliers or candelabra, with their stems hanging below. The wick floated in the cup, which was filled with oil. # C H A P T E R 33 Lamps Margaret E. Morden 362 part ix: lamps pl. XXIX no. 29, but the original illustration in Lamm, Glas von Samarra, p. 37, fig. 26 no. 147, seems less similar. The Serçe Limanı lamp is also of the same family as an Islamic lamp said to be of the eighth to ninth century, in Mainz; see F. Rademacher, Die deutschen Gläser des Mittelalters, pl. 18c and p. 144. Similar in shape are the following fragmentary lamps: LP 7. Amber; h. of stem with ball 0.033; hollow stem has max. diam. 80 of the distance from its bottom to the cup rather than at its neck. GW 816C; O5. LP 8. Green; h. of stem with ball 0.047. GW 802B; O3. LP 9. Green; h. of stem with ball 0.042; protruding pontil mark. GW 815D; N6. LP 10. Light yellow-green; h. of stem with ball 0.045. GW 812A; O7. LP 11. Light green; h. of stem with ball 0.035. GW 802A; O5. Corning Museum of Glass sample 3584 (chapter 43). LP 12. Light green; missing ball. GW 928; N5. LP 13. Amber; h. of stem with ball 0.05; bottom of stem was pinched and twisted at the same time, making it flat and irregular just above ball. GW 808B; N3+N4, N6. LP 14. Amber; h. of stem with ball 0.045; broken at stem bottom; ball may have been misshapen. LP...