Hanukkah Lamp (Amsterdam)

Pieter van Hoven

1705

This silver Hanukkah menorah, made in Amsterdam by the master silversmith Pieter van Hoven, sits on six claw legs and is decorated with intricate leaf and floral patterns. Its front side is further adorned with a crown, beneath which is an inscription in Hebrew, “the lamp of the commandment” (Proverbs 6:23), typical of similar lamps from the time. Many of van Hoven’s Jewish ceremonial objects have survived.

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Credits

Collection Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam, M002003.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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Faience-tile mosaic of floral designs throughout, two lines of Hebrew text at the top, and three niches at bottom.
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Related Guide

Early Modern Visual and Material Culture

1500–1750

Early modern Jewish visual culture flourished, with illuminated manuscripts, ornate synagogues, and portraiture alongside increasing non-Jewish interest in Jewish customs and greater Jewish self-representation.

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