As an admirer of both ancient pottery and firelight, I’ve combined both interests to get these handmade oil lamps.

There are hundreds of styles of oil lamp, and these pieces were inspired by ancient Roman, ancient Herodian, Ancient Greek, and Ancient Babylonian styles. A mix of them, if you will.

These lamps are wheel thrown and further sculpted to achieve the desired features. Just add oil or animal fat of choice to the reservoirs, soak the braided jute wick, and light the lamp. If adding lard, using a piping bag will help, but a butter knife will work too.

Each lamp varies slightly in size and shape.

The “bottle” style can hold more oil, while the “shallow” style does really well with animal fats like lard or bacon grease.

As with anything that holds flame, do not leave these lamps unattended.

If the flame starts to go out, the lamp either needs the wick trimmed, moved up, or more fuel added.

The flame duration will depend on the fuel used. Some work better than others. I have tried flaxseed oil, lard, olive oil, and used canola oil (fry oil). Experiment with it and see what you like best.

If you like frying food, use that leftover oil to fuel the lamp! Just be sure to strain out the food bits first!