Lamp, anonymous, c. 1300 - c. 1500

casting, h 18.8cm × w 13.3cm × d 20.7cm More details

This lamp is shaped like a fish with an elephant trunk. In the mouth was a wick and the oil was poured in through the back. The woman is probably Sri Tanjung, a figure from Javanese mythology. She was falsely accused and murdered by her jealous husband, sent to heaven where she was revived, and returned to earth on the back of a legendary fish. This lamp may have been used during rituals for the dead.