Getty Museum

Lamp in the Form of a Reclining Comic Actor

Date

2nd century A.D.

Medium

Terracotta and pigment

Culture

Roman

Department

Implements

Institution

Getty Museum

A drunkenly reclining, masked and costumed actor forms the body of this Roman lamp. His legs are crossed and his right hand is raised to his face. His bearded mask appears to represent an enslaved character typical of ancient comedy. He wears a long, close-fitting, textured undersuit and a short draped overgarment. This costume may be similar to network garments occasionally worn by actors on statuettes and in depictions of Thalia, the Muse of comedy. The texture, however, might also represent the fleece garments worn by actors seen in vase-painting. As with most Roman terracotta lamps, this one was mass-produced in a mold, with minor touchups made by hand. Theatrical themes were a popular decoration for Roman lamps. The Romans used small oil-burning lamps for illumination. The hollow body of this lamp held oil added through the hole in the actor's back and wicks emerged from the nozzles on either end. By modern standards, oil lamps do not burn lightly, but a lamp with two wicks gave off twice as much light as a lamp with only one.

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