This lamp reproduces the myth of Amaltheia, Melissa and Zeus in a very abbreviated form. - Abandoned as a baby on Mount Ida in Crete, Zeus was fed with milk from the goat Amaltheia and honey from the bee Melissa. This food, perhaps the legendary ambrosia, seemed to have been very nutritious. Otherwise, would the foundling have become a handsome father of the gods?
The honey bee, which not only ensured Zeus' survival at a young age, is of enormous importance for the ecosystem of our time. (AVS)
Former August Kestner Collection, Rome