Getty Museum

Lamp

Date

late 1st–early 2nd century A.D.

Medium

Bronze

Culture

Roman

Department

Implements

Institution

Getty Museum

Description: Lamp in the shape of a theater mask: head of either Silenus or a comic actor of the clever slave kind; around his head is a wreath of tendrils, berries, and ivy leaves continuing below the handle attachment (96.AQ.193.b); long sidelocks with braided ends emerging from the headcloth; strongly modeled knit brows; the wide-open mouth serves as a filling-hole with fringe beard raised around it to create a megaphone. Striations around the mouth indicate that the beard was done postcasting. Protruding nozzle with nearly triangular tip surrounded by a raised grooved edge. Between the beard and the wick-hole is a slightly raised triangular relief pointing to the wick-hole; floral pattern in low relief on nozzle underside: pointed bud emerging from two curved petals, whose tips correspond to the angles of the triangular nozzle top. Raised base forming a low foot with convex profile; the bottom has two slightly raised bands; central disk with incised central dot.

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