Oil lamp in the form of the head of a satyr with African features
Entry ID
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101 (02/02/2022)
Formal title of the work
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Oil lamp in the form of the head of a satyr with African features
Description of the sculpture
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Bronze oil lamp in the form of a satyr shown with African features and a head crowned with leaves and other flora. This piece was formerly attributed to Severo da Ravenna of Padua.
URLs where this is recorded/available
Type of object
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Head
Base
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No base
Dimensions
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Height: 7.1 cm
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Length: 9.2 cm
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Base (diameter): 5.5 cm
Materials
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Bronze
Specific techniques used
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Casting
Overall colour
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Monochrome – brown
Does the Black person have a specific identity?
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Identifiable: person from Classical mythology
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Anonymous: generic/idealised type
Attributes
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Leaves and other flora decorating hair
Role within sculpture
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Main protagonist
Gender
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Female
Age
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Child
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Adolescent
Status
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Free citizen
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Other
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Uncertain
Clothing
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No clothes included (head)
Evidence of enslavement
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None
Evidence of 'exotic' status
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Other
Action or activity
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Not relevant (head)
Emotional state
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Indeterminate
Focus of gaze of Black person
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Looking upwards
Sculptural context
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No location included/implied
Place of production
Period of production
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Sixteenth century (1500-1599)
Date of Production
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c. 1500 - 1538
Date inferred from
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Inferred from dates when sculptor is active
Original purpose
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Decorative
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Other
Original display setting
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Secular Domestic: hall/reception room
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Secular Domestic: library/study
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Secular Civic: other
Current owner
Current / most recently known location
Accession number
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WA2005.87
Provenance history
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2005: presented to the Ashmolean Museum by Brenda, Lady Cook, in memory of her husband Sir Francis Cook.
Current rights holder
License terms for reuse
‘Oil lamp in the form of the head of a satyr with African features’ (no date), Black People in European Sculpture, accessed May 5, 2025, http://13.41.147.145/s/database/item/875
