BYZANTINE BRONZE BOOT LAMP. Ca. AD 500 - 600. A unique bronze oil lamp in the shape of a soldier's boot. The oil lamp has an elegant and slender form, with a protruding discoid foot, a boot-shaped body with a keeled central section, and a sloping shoulder. The boot is made up of a base with short nails, indicating it was likely to be for use in snow or mud. The top part of the shoe displays crossed laces at the front, extending to the top of the boot. Two bronze rings accommodate two chains for hanging the lamp. The entire composition has developed layered speckles of green and brown patina. For similar see: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum Accession Number: 62.10.1. Size: 120mm x 110mm; Weight: 440g Provenance: Prince collection, 1990s-2014; Ex. Fragments of Time, 2006. This item has been cleared against the Art Loss Register database and comes with a confirmation letter.