Buffalo-shaped bronze lamp- Hunan Museum
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Buffalo-shaped bronze lamp
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Date:Western Han (206 BCE-9 CE)
Medium:Bronze

Dimensions: Height: 50cm; Length: 40cm; Width: 25cm; Diameter: 16.7cm

Origin: Excavated from Guihuayuan, Changsha, Hunan Province in 1949

The body of this lamp is shaped like a water-buffalo with drooping ears and short legs. Two vertical cylindrical pipes rise like horns from the buffalo's head and curve together to form a broad covered bowl which functions as a chimney. There is a circular hole in the middle of the buffalo’s back in which rests a circular lamp basin with a handle. The inside of this basin is conical and the rim has a grooved lip, protecting the lamp from wind. The body of the lamp is hollow and can be used to store oil.

The lamp is sturdily modeled, significant for its function as a light source, an oil storage vessel, and its smoke filtration and wind-resisting features.