Getty Museum

Lamp

Date

1st century B.C.–4th century A.D.

Medium

Terracotta

Culture

Roman

Department

Implements

Institution

Getty Museum

This globular lamp in the shape of a Black African male’s head was made with a mold. Tightly packed rows of concentric stamped dots indicate curly hair, and the figure’s eyes stare widely. He has a slight, pointed nose, and his puffed-out cheeks and open mouth - which serves as the wick-hole - give the impression that he is blowing a flame. Clear traces of use are visible from the burn residue around the mouth and on the lamp’s right side. The filling-hole is located on the forehead, surrounded by a raised circular collar that connects to a loop. This ring indicates that the lamp could be suspended, or stand flat on its raised base-ring. Lamps made possible a range of activities after dark, including reading, working, and socializing, and also played a key part in religious practices and burial rites. They were produced in large quantities through the use of molds, and the flat upper surface provided a convenient field for decoration. Common subjects include geometric patterns, animals, divinities, and scenes from daily life. The depiction of a Black African’s face finds a number of parallels (see [83.AQ.377.486](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/17168/unknown-maker-lamp-roman-1st-century-bc-4th-century-ad/); [83.AQ.377.488](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/17170/unknown-maker-lamp-roman-1st-century-bc-4th-century-ad/); [83.AQ.377.492](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/17174/unknown-maker-lamp-roman-1st-century-bc-4th-century-ad/); [83.AQ.377.340](<a href=)), and typifies the commodification of their bodies in Roman visual media. In this context, there may also be a play of word and image. Black Africans were known to the ancient Greeks and Romans as Aethiopians, from the Greek for “burnt-faced.” Depicted upon the surface of a lamp, this Aethiopian’s face would – literally - be darkened by fire.

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