La rara iconografia di un auriga su una lampada ad olio in lega di rame dal Khurasan (Iran), XII secolo

This paper deals with the rare iconography of the thumb-rest of an oil lamp in copper alloy, consisting of a charioteer holding a pair of horses for the reins. The lamp comes from Khurasan (north-eastern Iran), dates back to the 12th century and is preserved in the Louvre Museum. This image could recall the solar chariot and, therefore, a solar symbolism connected to the Koranic concept of the sirāj, that is the burning lamp representing the sun.