Six bronze lamps. Etching by G.B. Piranesi, ca. 1770.

Four of the lamps are stated to be in the museum of Athanasius Kircher: upper left, a lamp in the form of a Moor's head; lower left a lamp in the form of an actor's mask; right background, a lamp in the form of a seated young man; right foreground, a lamp in the form of a head of a bearded man suspended on chains attached to bells; far right, a lamp in the form of a vessel surrounded by a snake. Centre, a bronze lamp suspended by chains attached to a winged genius with a tail in the form of volutes, excavated in the Palazzo Caetani (subsequently Palazzo Ruspoli: A. Amendola, I Caetani di Sermoneta, Rome 2010)

The lamp said to be in the form of a Moor's head has a protrusion from the mouth which resembles the lip plate worn by women in some parts of Ethiopia

[Rome] : [publisher not identified], [between 1768 and 1778]

1 print : etching ; platemark 38.2 x 52.8 cm

A.B.C.D. Lucerne antiche di bronzo, che si conservano nel Museo Kircheriano del Collegio Romano. E. Lucerna di bronzo rappresentante una testa di Moro ... Lucerna antica di bronzo ritrovata l'anno 1773, negli escavi fatti nel cortile del Palazzo di S. Ecc.za il sig. D. Francesco Gaetani Duca di Sermoneta ... Cav. Piranesi f.

Wellcome Collection 2254903i