Roman Ephebe from Naples

Youth as a Lamp Bearer, a long-term loan from the Museo Archeologico Nazionale in Naples, is on view at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa.

Created about 20-10 B.C., the Roman bronze figure of a ephebe, or youth, was excavated in 1925 in a well-appointed residence, now called the House of the Ephebe—named for this statue—off Pompeii's Via dell'Abbondanza. Referred to as the Efebo Lampadoforo (Youth as a Lamp Bearer), the figure holds ornate tendrils that served as candelabrum branches.

Like many other pieces found in Pompeii, it is a Roman work in Greek style; the youth is modeled after earlier, Greek sculptures of athletes. Created as an ancient lamp stand, the ephebe still stands on his original base, consisting of a bronze disk and stone tripod.

Photo: Youth as a Lamp Bearer, Roman, from Pompeii, 20–10 B.C. Soprintendenza Speciale per i Beni Archeologici di Napoli e Pompei