Antique Seljuk Persian Ceramic Oil Lamp

This adorable little object is a Seljuk Period Ceramic Oil Lamp, most likely c. A cream glazed lamp decorated with dashes of blue glaze on a globular body, projecting spout, a large filler hole, and D-shaped handle with a thumb rest. The artifact is in fine condition but has a small chip.

It measures 4" tall x 6" long x 3 wide. The Seljuks were a Turkic dynasty who swept out of Central Asia in the early 10th century and conquered an enormous expanse, covering most or all of present-day Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, Turkey and beyond.

After inflicting crushing military defeats on a host of rivals, the most famous of which was perhaps that against the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, the Seljuk sultans became major patrons of art and architecture.