Ask the Scholar
Page 2 of 5
I can add historical knowledge about this page.
Page image
Document source description
Oil lamps in the shape of a head of an animal or person were created in Italy during the Renaissance in imitation of similar ones made by the ancient Romans. 17th-century collectors could not tell the difference and collected the Renaissance examples as “antiquities.” This oil lamp would have been appreciated not only for its “antiquity” but also for its exoticism. Another such lamp in a princely collection of the time was called a “heathen head” and considered to be Roman; it was not recognized as a work of the early 1500s until 1940.The representation is undignified—the wick would have stuck out of the man’s mouth—but the dignity of persons considered to be “savage” or “heathen” was not of much concern to most in Europe at the time.
Page data
- Page
- 2
- Source index
- 0
- Type
- photo
- Media ID
- 68da086078894bbb
- Size
- unknown
Document data
- ID
- 13088
- Core
- obj
- Type
- object
DTO data
{
"id": "13088",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.1716",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Oil Lamp in the Shape of an African's Head",
"description": "Oil lamps in the shape of a head of an animal or person were created in Italy during the Renaissance in imitation of similar ones made by the ancient Romans. 17th-century collectors could not tell the difference and collected the Renaissance examples as “antiquities.” This oil lamp would have been appreciated not only for its “antiquity” but also for its exoticism. Another such lamp in a princely collection of the time was called a “heathen head” and considered to be Roman; it was not recognized as a work of the early 1500s until 1940.The representation is undignified—the wick would have stuck out of the man’s mouth—but the dignity of persons considered to be “savage” or “heathen” was not of much concern to most in Europe at the time.",
"provenance": "Henry Walters, Baltimore, before 1931; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.",
"date": "ca. 1540 (Renaissance)",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.1716",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"lamps"
],
"iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.1716_3QtrLft_DD_T11.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.1716_3QtrLft_DD_T11.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.1716_3QtrLft_DD_T11.jpg",
"imageCount": 5,
"pageCount": 5,
"source": "import",
"dimensions": [
{
"units": "cm",
"width": 4,
"height": 7.8,
"depth": 4
}
],
"dimensionsRaw": "H: 1 9/16 x W: 3 1/16 x D: 1 9/16 in. (4 x 7.8 x 4 cm)"
}
Context sent to Scholar
Document identity
{
"localId": "13088",
"label": "Oil Lamp in the Shape of an African's Head",
"core": "obj",
"dtoType": "object",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.1716"
}
Document source metadata
{
"id": "13088",
"sourceUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.1716",
"contentType": "object",
"stage": "normalized",
"title": "Oil Lamp in the Shape of an African's Head",
"description": "Oil lamps in the shape of a head of an animal or person were created in Italy during the Renaissance in imitation of similar ones made by the ancient Romans. 17th-century collectors could not tell the difference and collected the Renaissance examples as “antiquities.” This oil lamp would have been appreciated not only for its “antiquity” but also for its exoticism. Another such lamp in a princely collection of the time was called a “heathen head” and considered to be Roman; it was not recognized as a work of the early 1500s until 1940.The representation is undignified—the wick would have stuck out of the man’s mouth—but the dignity of persons considered to be “savage” or “heathen” was not of much concern to most in Europe at the time.",
"provenance": "Henry Walters, Baltimore, before 1931; Walters Art Museum, 1931, by bequest.",
"date": "ca. 1540 (Renaissance)",
"citationUrl": "https://purl.thewalters.org/art/54.1716",
"rightsUri": "CC0",
"language": "en",
"genreSpecific": [
"lamps"
],
"iiifBase": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.1716_3QtrLft_DD_T11.jpg",
"thumbnailUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.1716_3QtrLft_DD_T11.jpg",
"largeImageUrl": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/art/PS1_54.1716_3QtrLft_DD_T11.jpg",
"imageCount": 5,
"pageCount": 5,
"source": "import",
"dimensions": [
{
"units": "cm",
"width": 4,
"height": 7.8,
"depth": 4
}
],
"dimensionsRaw": "H: 1 9/16 x W: 3 1/16 x D: 1 9/16 in. (4 x 7.8 x 4 cm)"
}
Document source extras
{
"med": "bronze",
"creator_ids": [
"33562"
],
"collection_ids": [
"REN"
],
"exhibition_ids": [
"2444"
]
}
Page context
{
"seq": 2,
"pageIndex": 0,
"type": "photo",
"url": "https://art.thewalters.org/images/raw/PS1_54.1716_Fnt_DD_T11.jpg",
"mediaId": "68da086078894bbb"
}