# Oil Lamp

- By: anonymous
- Date: c. 1300 - c. 1500
- Medium: bronze (metal)
- Classification: lamp
- Dimensions: height 32.5 cm x width 19.4 cm x depth 19.8 cm
- Credit line: On loan from the Royal Asian Art Society in The Netherlands (purchase heirs J.A.W. Sieburg, 1950)
- Museum: [Rijksmuseum](https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/collection/object/AK-MAK-269--b3741c4c931b56cf9edae6f94cd9371d)
- Rights: [Public Domain Mark](http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/)
- Picture: https://iiif.micr.io/TOQOT/full/!1920,1080/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Fire, like water, plays an important role in rituals. Oil lamps are often suspended before the effigy of a god, both at home and in a temple. An essential part of a Hindu temple ceremony (puja) is worshipping the god by moving a lamp in front of his or her image. In ancient India, lamps were the most popular gifts to temples, along with cows to supply clarified butter (the fuel).