Lamp
2nd–1st century B.C.
The top of this mold-made lamp is decorated with a male face, which has large almond-shaped eyes and prominent eyebrows. Closely-packed indentations on the head represent rows of tightly bunched curls of hair, and together with the broad nose and full lips upturned in a smile, suggest that this figure is a Black African.
A raised edge surrounds the lamp’s upper surface. The filling-hole is located on the face’s forehead, and there are two small holes on either side to collect any spilled oil. The nozzle is beveled, with a flat top and a triangular tip, and the ribbon handle has two grooves and a wider central section. The lamp sits on a teardrop-shaped 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.438.342](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/26293/unknown-maker-lamp-greek-nd/); [83.AQ.377.340](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/16988/unknown-maker-lamp-greek-2nd-1st-century-bc/)), 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.
A raised edge surrounds the lamp’s upper surface. The filling-hole is located on the face’s forehead, and there are two small holes on either side to collect any spilled oil. The nozzle is beveled, with a flat top and a triangular tip, and the ribbon handle has two grooves and a wider central section. The lamp sits on a teardrop-shaped 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.438.342](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/26293/unknown-maker-lamp-greek-nd/); [83.AQ.377.340](https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/16988/unknown-maker-lamp-greek-2nd-1st-century-bc/)), 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.
Images courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art (CC0)