20th-mid 17th century BC. An anthropomorphic terracotta lamp, boat-shaped and with curved base, the side walls with peaked front and raised back with a stylised human face with wide arched eyebrows joining at the centre with a straight nose, prominent circular eyes; conical projection at the top.See Smith, R.H., 'The Household Lamps of Palestine in Old Testament Times' in The Biblical Archaeologist, Vol. 27, No.1, Feb, 1964, pp.1-31, fig.1, for the same typology without the raised back.205 grams, 13cm (5"). Property of a gentleman from Jerusalem; previously in an old Israeli collection; accompanied by a copy of Israeli export permit number 44007.This singular lamp belongs to the Middle Bronze Age IIa period. Its stylised face can be compared with terracotta bird face idols related to the period of the early Hittite invasion in Syria and in Canaan. The lamp shape can be compared with the Canaanite lamps of the period. When the chariot warriors and city-builders of the early 2nd millennium BC arrived in Canaan, they fashioned a simpler lamp by putting a single spout on one side of a bowl. The development of the saucer lamp through the Middle and Late Bronze Ages consisted mainly of the evolution of the spout into an increasingly large and well-defined feature of the lamp. For this specific lot, 5% import VAT is applicable on the hammer price

Fine condition, repaired.