Ca. 200 AD.A glazed ceramic lamp with the upper body shaped as a frog. The animal is finely detailed with realistically modelled skin, attentive eyes, and crouches upon a flat base with an extended nozzle to the front and a loop handle to the rear. The filling hole with a decorative, flounced border is set at the back of the frog. The oldest Roman lamps date to the third century BC when the Romans adopted the idea from the Greek colonies of Southern Italy. By the first century BC, it became popular to use lamps in funeral ceremonies and public celebrations. As the empire grew, the manufacture of lamps increased dramatically, as did the variation in decoration. Common decorative themes included gladiators in combat, mythological scenes, and animals. For a similar example, but in bronze see Archaeological Museum of Bologna, Inventory Number: 2040.Size: L:125mm / W:60mm ; 84.8gProvenance: From the private collection of a Cambridgeshire gentleman; previously in an old British collection, ex. German art market 1990s.