A Roman Bronze Balsamarium, circa 2nd Century A.D.

in the form of a black lanternarius, or lantern-bearer, seated in a pensive attitude on a high molded base with his right hand on his knee and his left hand against his chin, his garment draped around his lower body, a lantern by his left foot, a fragmentary loop on each shoulder for attachment of the missing handle.

Susette Khayat, New York
Dr. Robert Waelder (1900-1967), Philadelphia (Christie's, New York, June 2nd, 1995, no. 35, illus.)

Lanternarius balsamaria with negroid features are scarce; for an example in the Bibliothèque Nationale see E. Babelon and A. Blanchet, Catalogue des bronzes antiques de la bibliothèque nationale, Paris, 1895, p. 442, no. 1014 (Valérie Marti-Clercx, Les vases anthropomorphes en bronze du monde romain. Recherches sur les "balsamaires,"  doctoral dissertation, Lille, France, 1999, Cat. Eth. 7, pl. 41). Also see Au pays de Baal et d’Astarté, p. 234, no. 267, a lanternarius with Caucasian features.