Object Biography: Lamp with Scenes from the Life of Christ

For my object biography project, I have chosen a lamp with scenes from the life of Christ. This lamp (or censer) includes the likes of The Crucifixion and The Annunciation. The scenes appear to be in chronological order, beginning with The Annunciation and ending with The Women at the Tomb. However, key events, such as The Last Supper and The Resurrection, do not appear. This could be due to a simple lack of space, or perhaps it is due to the religious beliefs of the time and/or the importance of certain Biblical events to the Byzantines. The actual material of the lamp appears to be some sort of copper, judging from various spots of green (a result of copper oxidation).

What drew me to this particular piece was its relation to my life and experiences. Raised a Catholic, I was able to quickly relate to the images I noticed on the lamp. From Christ's baptism to the Nativity, I was able to identify with each and every event. I was reminded of statues and paintings from my local church and other childhood churches in memory. In addition to the strong connection I felt with the piece, I sensed an opportunity to expand my historical/religious knowledge. I would like to compare this specific depiction of the life of Christ to other depictions (from ancient and modern times), so as to identify differences/similarities of the Christian religion between these times. I plan to first more closely inspect the lamp. Then, I will compare its scenes to similar scenes that I am able to find. Next, I will research the sculpture/art of the Byzantine world, as to attempt to pinpoint a more exact origin of the lamp. Finally, I will research Byzantine Christianity in the Middle Ages to inform myself of which aspects of the religion were of the most importance to the people at the time. I want to discover if there was any ulterior motive for producing the lamp in question, aside from iconography or reverence of Christ. I hope to uncover something new and exciting, perhaps a hidden meaning behind this piece (such is the joy of history after all).