hearth-blower aeolipile
Object number
LDSAL105
Material
bronze
Technique
Casting
Dimensions
Height: 270mm
Location
Burlington House -
References
Reference (free text)
Archaeologia 13 (1807): 410, 414.Illustration (Engraving), pl. XXVII, opp. p. 410.
Reference (free text)
Albert Way, Catalogue of Antiquities, Coins, Pictures, and Miscellaneous Curiosities, in the Possession of the Society of Antiquaries of London, 1847 (London: Society of Antiquaries of London, 1847), p. 22.
Reference (free text)
Elizabeth Lewis, 'The Aeolipile from Basingstoke', Hampshire Field Club & Archaeological Society Newsletter 47 (2007): 4-8.
Reference (free text)
David Gaimster, Sarah McCarthy, and Bernard Nurse, eds., Making History, Antiquaries in Britain, 1707-2007 (London: Royal Academy of Arts, 2007), p. 111, fig. 18.
Illustration, p. 111.
Reference (free text)
Volume 87 (2007)
'Jack of Hilton and the History of the Hearth-Blower' by Arthur MacGregor, FSA. (p. 281-294)
Reference (free text)
Volume 50 (1947)
'Two Hearth-Blowers from Henley-on-Thames and Basingstoke' by R. Patterson (p. 98-101)
Bronze cast aeolipile or hearth-blower in the form of a kneeling man. The figure is kneeling on his right knee, with his left hand resting on his left leg and his right raised to his forehead; his cheeks puffed as though blowing through his mouth (a small hole). His hair is short and tied, he wears a brooch at his neck and a belt with buckle around his waist; these details have been incised into the copper-alloy body. In similar form to two other aeolipiles from this period, the figure has been cast with a pronounced phallus. A hole at the back of the figure's neck allows access for water.
The Medieval vessel was made to sit by the fire and emit steam.