Abstract: To prevent stresses from occurring in lamps in which an electrode system luding, for example, tungsten or molybdenum electrode shafts (4, 12, 22) and current supply leads (15, 26) of, for example, molybdenum, extend into a neck portion (3, 11, 20) of a discharge bulb, a metal foil of high temperature resistant resistant material (6, 16, 17, 18, 29, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37) partially or completely surrounds the metallic portions of the electrode system where it might come into contact with quartz glass during melt sealing of the neck portion of the lamp. The high temperature resistant metal foil is embossed and, preferably of molybdenum with a base thickness of between 0.02 and 0.2 mm, which, when profiled, changes by a factor of between 1.2 to 12 in thickness. Up to two layers of this foil can be wrapped around or placed on the respective metallic portions of the seal, a covering of for example, 1.25 to 1.5 turns about a circular shaft being preferred.