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"St. Luke Reading by Lamplight"
10th century A.D. Byzantine Gospel
Shallow, dimpled wine cup
Mid 4th century A.D.
Many Medieval ecclesiastical manuscripts depict saints and monks reading by the light of a shallow dish-shaped lamp, rather than a conical one. The natural perspective of these lamps often was flattened out by the illuminator.
In one image of St. Luke writing his gospel, the lamp is connected to a pulley system, so that it could be raised or lowered for convenience. This dish-shaped lamp may well have derived from a shallow drinking cup that became quite popular in northwestern Europe in the mid 4th century A.D.