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Italy, 19th century
Bronze.
11 x 5 1/4 inches (279 x 133 mm)
AZ062
Notes:
Pastiche with 16th century elements.
The upper portion of the lamp with the man seated on a shell working a bellows is also found in a late 16th century cast with some variations in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (M.61-1952). The Morgan's version, which dates to the 19th century, has been retrofitted to render the oil lamp suitable for electric lighting: the smoke plume at the tip of the shell contains a socket for a light bulb.
Provenance:
Purchased by Pierpont Morgan before 1913.
Summary:
A shell-shaped oil lamp is surmounted by the figure of a man working a bellows. A balancing dolphin joins the shell to the stem, which is decorated with cherubs' heads and rests on three sphinxes.
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