Exhibiting Historical Art: Out of the Vault: Stories of People and Things

"Ancient" Bronze Lamp

            During the time of the Roman Empire, artisans created a number of objects for both conventional use and to show one’s wealth. Made out of clay and bronze, lamps were one of such objects, with bronze being a highly specialized material and not mass produced. Most likely created using Lost Wax casting, this type of lamp would have been a fairly unique piece. Furthermore, the industry for bronze artifacts was much smaller but included larger objects that were sold as luxury goods, whereas the clay industry mass produced lamps that could be used by many. In the height of the Roman Empire, their influence had expanded around the Mediterranean and beyond, participating in trade with many different cultures reaching as far as the Indian subcontinent. Through this trade and influence of foreign peoples on the Romans, different cultural styles were blended together by artisans.
            An almost identical lamp was found in Pong Tuk, Thailand (Siam), showing the vast distances that some of these object could travel. However, it is unlikely that this lamp was made specifically for the Southeast Asian peoples, due to its mostly Roman style. Nonetheless, it is possible to imagine it being traded to merchants, who then brought it to the area that is now Yemen in the 2nd century AD. From there it could have been traded to merchants on their way to India, and after some time, perhaps 500 years later, traded between two rich families into the area of Pong Tuk. It could then have been lost to the times and then dug up by archeologists in the early 20th century.
            However, the lamp that is displayed here is most likely a very good reproduction, and not authentic. The hinge on which the lid sits is not original, but furthermore, the lamp itself resembles the one found at Pong Tuk to such detail that it is unlikely to be an original 2nd century BC work. It is believed that this was created soon after the Pong Tuk lamp had been found, due to the similarities between the two. The Pong Tuk lamp has been featured in many different catalogues and is an extremely popular piece from the Pong Tuk excavations, that it is likely many artisans would want to reproduce it for profit in the 20th century. Furthermore, this lamp lacks a square peg insert on the base that would have been used to attach it to a stand, helping to assert is status as a copy. The patina achieved by the artisan would have been possible using a number of resources and techniques and then burying the piece underground for some time to develop an earthy and dirty look, causing people to believe that the piece was an original from the 2nd century BC. 
 

This page has paths: