Oil lamp with Eros figure

A lucerna (oil lamp) made of scrolls decorated on a disc depicts Eros, represented as a child playing with Hercules’ mace and lion skin. He appears in a frontal view with wings spread and his head turned to the right. His right arm, crossing his chest, holds the mace and behind his left wing the skin of the lion of Nemea is visible. Cupid is one of the most commonly represented figures in lucernas, and the fact that he appears with Herculean attributes symbolizes the idea that even the most powerful may be disarmed and conquered through the power of love.

Lucernas are oil lamps used in the Roman era which could be made of either ceramic or metal. They have a reservoir for oil storage and a hole at the lip for a wick which protrudes, and when wet with oil, may be lit to provide light. The lucerna as well as its decoration are made through the application of two casts, one lower and one upper, so that the same decorative motif may appear in many lucernas.

C.S.: 3110

LAFUENTE, J., 1934, 1957 y 1959
OLCINA, M., REGINARD, H. y SÁNCHEZ, M. J., 1990
GARCÍA, A., 2007