Bronze Oil Lamp of Montefrío

Opening time: Saturdays from 12.00am during February
Place: Hall III, Museum of the Alhambra, Palace of Charles V.
Among the wide range of Spanish-Moorish bronze objects, oil lamps are some of the most beautiful pieces due to their varied shapes and decorations.
These oil lamps have some features in common, like the oil deposit, the wide lamp spouts or the decorated handles. But beyond these common features, their rich decoration and singular features of the pieces make them special objects of study and attention.
The talk will deal with the three bronze oil lamps that exist in the Museum of the Alhambra (R.2826, R. 2827, R. 2828), with special emphasis on the Oil Lamp of Montefrio (R.2828) and its main features and the historical and time context of its manufacture.
The talk will start with a general overview of the Spanish-Moorish oil lamps as heirs of the Roman lamps and their subsequent development and evolution that led to the manufacture of these unique and singular pieces. The talk will also mention the uses given to these objects and their particular iconography.
The talk will describe the use of bronze for the manufacture of luxurious objects and their manufacturing technique showing visual and practical examples to help visitors understand the details of the processes of sand smelting and carving used in their manufacture.
The analysis of the pieces will be completed with their comparison with other oil lamps of similar characteristics that can be found in other Andalusian museums, like the Museum of Jaen or the Archaeological Museum of Granada, and with other common oil lamps of the time made of different materials.