A small drinking vessel known as a ‘guttus’. It is a small container designed to fill other vessels, such as oil lamps, via its spout located on the body (which is slender and tapered on the vase in question). As its name suggests, the liquid flowed from it only in small quantities or drop by drop.
The lamp was shaped simply by folding up the rim of a circular plate – which had previously been turned on a potter’s wheel (the traces of the turning are clearly visible, especially on the rim) – at four evenly spaced points: viewed from above, the lamp thus displays an attractive design reminiscent of a four-petalled flower. The wide, round base provides the lamp with optimum stability, meaning it is unlikely to be knocked over.
This cup is impressive, particularly because of the thickness of its walls and its weight. The vessel, made of copper cast in a mould, has no handles: its profile is truncated conical and very linear. It rests on a small, solid triangular foot.
The decoration, in very shallow relief, covers the entire available surface. Three bulls, recognisable by the shape of their horns, stand facing to the right of the viewer.