Conserving Bronze Lamps of Ancient Vani

To study and conserve two of the four ancient bronze lamps discovered in a hoard at Vani. In order to take proper care of newly excavated materials, conservators sought to carefully document and examine the objects, then develop customized approaches for conservation.

Encrustations and corrosion were mechanically removed from the lamps, revealing well preserved underlying surfaces. After cleaning, the lamps, as well as two others found with them, were displayed at the Getty Villa Museum in the exhibition The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani (July 16–October 5, 2009). Variations in the lamps’ styles and technologies suggest production by different workshops and/or at different times during the 2nd–1st century BCE. Compositional dissimilarities suggest different ore sources or possible metal recycling.

Lamp with Erotes

On the arms of this lamp three erotes (Greek child-gods of love) face outward. One plays a kithara (lyre), another holds a torch, while the third dances. A fourth stands on top of the lid, holding a stringed instrument. The hinged lid at the center provides access to a deep reservoir for oil. Rings on the upper surface indicate that the lamp was suspended, while the lower rings suggest that other elements were hung from it.

Lamp with Zeus and Ganymede

The underside of this three-nozzled lamp features the god Zeus in the form of an eagle, carrying his young love Ganymede off to Mount Olympus to be his cupbearer. The composition is found in many media, but it is particularly effective as an adornment here. When the lamp was lit, the beautiful youth would gleam, and the divine bird would be encircled by a glowing nimbus.

The four lamps were recovered in 2007 as part of an excavation of the ancient Colchian settlement of Vani in the Rioni River valley in Georgia. The settlement is believed to have dated from the 8th century BCE to around 50 BCE. Original excavations began in the 1930s –40s by the Georgian Academy of Sciences. In 2007, a hoard of metal artifacts, including the lamps, was discovered by chance at the base of an ancient wall. Two bronze lamps were the first freshly excavated objects to come to the Getty Villa for conservation directly from their archaeological site of discovery. This posed a new challenge in approaching the study and conservation process.

Freshly excavated materials harbor a wealth of information and require careful examination and documentation prior to any intervention. The adhering soil, burial accretions, and type of corrosion formed over long periods of time all may contain important information. They can reveal clues about the history of the object, the environment in which it was interred, adjacent material (such as textiles or other organic compounds), and details of surface decoration.

Cleaning under the microscope revealed a blue-green patina and fine details, such as the eagle feathers on the Zeus figure. A detailed study of the lamps took place using non-invasive techniques such as X-radiography and inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) analysis of the metal, for elemental and lead isotope compositions. Data on alloys and lead isotopes may suggest different ore sources or possible metal recycling.

The lamps were found to vary stylistically and appear to have been manufactured by different methods. They also offer valuable art historical information and avenues for new research in the study of Vani. The lamps’ secure context and creative use of Hellenistic Greek subjects render them immensely valuable indicators of activity at Vani during its last phase.

Heavy soil encrustation was removed from the lamps’ surfaces and interiors through the application of distilled water, and use of metal and wooden tools. Exterior cleaning produced a slightly variegated surface of different colors due to iron deposits, which are the result of the burial environment that included iron spearheads. A thin carbonate crust on the Erotes lamp and its figures was cleaned by hand with small tools under a binocular microscope. A few areas showed formations of fibrous malachite, while other areas of the surface also preserved tool marks from the fabrication process, such as the wax models and polishing of the metal. Charcoal was found in the interior of the Erotes lamp, which was removed along with soil samples, for further analysis. Copper corrosion products had fixed the lid in an open position. The corrosion was removed with the dropwise application of dilute nitric acid, followed by rinsing with deionized water.

The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani (July 16–October 5, 2009) presented an array of precious objects from the ancient kingdom of Colchis, in what is today western Georgia. The excavation of a series of rich burials and other discoveries at the city of Vani revealed a highly developed culture that had its own religious and artistic practices, yet also embraced and adapted influences from neighboring peoples. The exhibition displayed votive figurines, gold necklaces and earrings, as well as many other grave goods, aiming to introduce the site and its history to the West Coast of the United States.

The tour of The Golden Graves of Ancient Vani was organized by the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York University in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Monuments Protection, and Sport of Georgia; the Georgian National Museum; and the Vani Archaeological Museum.

Susanne Gänsicke, Sr. Conservator/Head of Antiquities Conservation
Nino Kalandadze, Georgian National Museum
Jeffrey Maish, former Conservator, Department of Antiquities Conservation
David Saunders, Associate Curator, Department of Antiquities