Chinese Ceramic Oil Lamp

Turquoise glaze pools in a wide saucer around a slender, bulging stem.

This glazed pottery oil lamp is from China, and dates to the early 20th century. Oil lamps in China were made in bronze, iron and ceramic, and glazed pottery versions were practical because the glaze helps keep oil from soaking into the clay. Pedestal-shaped vessel with a flaring cup, a narrow waist, and a swelling stem rising from a broad shallow dish. The glaze is a soft blue-green, glossy and uneven, with darker flecks and a few rough, bare spots. It is 7.75 inches high and 5.75 in diameter.

Fine-boned and glossy, with a pleasing lopsidedness.