Silver Hanukkah Lamp

Johann Adam Boller

1706

Silver candelabrum with eight branches and a central branch with carved figure on top, and decorative beads on each branch. — This silver Hanukkah lamp is an example of a new type for home use that became popular in the late seventeenth century in Frankfurt am Main. Designed to resemble an ancient menorah, it has a central shaft and curved arms, which are usually decorated with flowers or other decorations. The figure of the biblical heroine Judith is depicted on top, above the holder for the shamash (the candle used to light the others). This Hanukkah lamp is unusual in that it has enamel roundels with scenes from the Bible, featuring Jacob and Rebecca, and other design elements (lions, stags, birds) that may have been meant to represent the name of the family who commissioned it or the names of a couple for whom it may have been intended as a wedding gift.

This silver Hanukkah lamp is an example of a new type for home use that became popular in the late seventeenth century in Frankfurt am Main. Designed to resemble an ancient menorah, it has a central shaft and curved arms, which are usually decorated with flowers or other decorations. The figure of the biblical heroine Judith is depicted on top, above the holder for the shamash (the candle used to light the others). This Hanukkah lamp is unusual in that it has enamel roundels with scenes from the Bible, featuring Jacob and Rebecca, and other design elements (lions, stags, birds) that may have been meant to represent the name of the family who commissioned it or the names of a couple for whom it may have been intended as a wedding gift.