An illumination device comprising: a plurality of lamps (45, 55, 65), each of which comprises an organic electroluminescence layer and electrodes sandwiching the organic electroluminescence layer as a load (EL1, EL2, EL3); and a plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits (42, 43, 44, 46, 52, 53, 54, 56, 62, 63, 64, 66) configured to apply a current to the respective lamps so as to cause the organic electroluminescence layer to emit light, wherein: each of the plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits comprises a lamp current control circuit configured to control the current during a transient time, which ranges from a lighting start time of the corresponding lamp (45, 55, 65) to a stationary lighting time at which a predetermined time period has passed since the lighting start time, to be made small as compared with a current at the stationary lighting time; and wherein: the lamp current control circuit is configured to detect a lamp voltage value of the corresponding lamp (45, 55, 65); characterised in that the illumination device further comprises a maximum value selection unit configured to select a maximum value of the detected lamp voltage values of the plurality of lamps (45, 55, 65); and a reference value selection unit, configured to set a reference value of the lamp current common to all the light-emitting module lighting circuits so as to correspond to the maximum value such that during the transient time the time change of each lamp current conforms to the time change of the lamp current of the lamp with a longest time period from the lighting start time of the lamp to the stationary lighting time, whereby the temporal change of the lamp current becomes the same among the plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits. a plurality of lamps (45, 55, 65), each of which comprises an organic electroluminescence layer and electrodes sandwiching the organic electroluminescence layer as a load (EL1, EL2, EL3); and a plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits (42, 43, 44, 46, 52, 53, 54, 56, 62, 63, 64, 66) configured to apply a current to the respective lamps so as to cause the organic electroluminescence layer to emit light, wherein: each of the plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits comprises a lamp current control circuit configured to control the current during a transient time, which ranges from a lighting start time of the corresponding lamp (45, 55, 65) to a stationary lighting time at which a predetermined time period has passed since the lighting start time, to be made small as compared with a current at the stationary lighting time; and wherein: the lamp current control circuit is configured to detect a lamp voltage value of the corresponding lamp (45, 55, 65); characterised in that the illumination device further comprises a maximum value selection unit configured to select a maximum value of the detected lamp voltage values of the plurality of lamps (45, 55, 65); and a reference value selection unit, configured to set a reference value of the lamp current common to all the light-emitting module lighting circuits so as to correspond to the maximum value such that during the transient time the time change of each lamp current conforms to the time change of the lamp current of the lamp with a longest time period from the lighting start time of the lamp to the stationary lighting time, whereby the temporal change of the lamp current becomes the same among the plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits. the lamp current control circuit is configured to detect a lamp voltage value of the corresponding lamp (45, 55, 65); characterised in that the illumination device further comprises a maximum value selection unit configured to select a maximum value of the detected lamp voltage values of the plurality of lamps (45, 55, 65); and a reference value selection unit, configured to set a reference value of the lamp current common to all the light-emitting module lighting circuits so as to correspond to the maximum value such that during the transient time the time change of each lamp current conforms to the time change of the lamp current of the lamp with a longest time period from the lighting start time of the lamp to the stationary lighting time, whereby the temporal change of the lamp current becomes the same among the plurality of light-emitting module lighting circuits.