The Cadogan Lamp - RICCIO, Andrea - WGA
The Cadogan Lamp by RICCIO, Andrea
The Cadogan Lamp by RICCIO, Andrea

The Cadogan Lamp

by RICCIO, Andrea, Bronze, 13 x 21 x 6 cm

This bronze oil lamp, the so-called ‘Cadogan Lamp’ is in the form of an ancient galley, on the sides of which are groups of sea gods and medallions and on the cover is a statuette of a cupid mounted on a dolphin. Many oil lamps have decoration that carries symbolic meaning and is now difficult to interpret. Here one side shows the Fall of Ignorant Humanity, in the form of a fat woman flanked by two females. The other, with a youth blowing a horn into a billowing sail, represents the motto ‘make haste slowly’. Usually described as a galley, this ship is in fact a fantastical vessel.

Send Postcard
Feedback