Oil lamp in the shape of an African head; clay; pressed into the mold; hand modeled; clay; pressed into the mold and hand modeled; Total: Height: 7.9 cm; Width: 12.7 cm; Depth: 7.8 cm; ceramic; actor; actress; African; mask; Late Classicism (Greek Antiquity); Early Hellenistic; Greek Antiquity; The black varnished oil lamp is designed in the shape of a head. The head; leaning backwards; has a short; round vessel neck with a rim on the skull; to which the handle pierced on its upper side is attached at the back. The bent up nose and the protruding eyes; which are white-margined inside; are striking. The cheeks are inflated; the ears are protruding. The strongly protruding mouth is round open and served to receive the wick. The plastically indicated hair falls in thick strands across the forehead. Because of the distorted facial features; the head is called grotesque. It is probably a theater mask or a genre representation popular since early Hellenistic times. Michel Sguaitamatti assigns the head to an African.