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Img. ID: 109249

© , Photographer: Radovan, Zev,

The standing back-walled Hanukkah lamp is made of brass and consists of a row of oil containers, a back wall, sidewalls, two candle sockets, and legs. A row of eight rectangular oil containers is fastened to a straight bar within a box-like drip tray. The tray rests on four legs. A flat lid covers the tray. It is decorated with two parallel lines. The openwork back wall has the shape of a stepped arch. The decoration is arranged in three horizontal sections and bears geometric patterns. The rectangular side walls are decorated with two half circles. The two vase-shaped candle sockets protrude on arms from the sidewalls, with concave round trays beneath them. The legs are an integral part of the side walls.

 

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The festival of Chanukah is celebrated in the winter period around December and commemorates a Biblical story in which the Jews of the Land of Israel rebel against the Greek occupiers. They reclaim the desecrated Holy Temple in Jerusalem and, miraculously, the small amount of pure oil remaining is enough to keep the Temple light going for eight days. Lamps with eight burners are lit during this holiday, both in the synagogue and at home. Through the centuries, such lamps have taken a wide variety of forms.

The most common type of Chanukah lamp in Galicia and later in Poland was the cast brass lamp. The curved sides of this brass lamp seem to echo the sides of two silver lamps in the Gross Family Collection, both of which draw inspiration from Biedermeier furniture. It is unusual to find this in brass lamps. These sides, the elegantly designed back, and the covered burners combine to lend this small lamp a charm of its own. The typical Chanuka lamp from this area had what appear to be two "Shamash" burners. This allowed the lamp to be used all year long, not only for Chanukah but for the kindling of two Shabbat lights as well.

Name/Title
Hanukkah lamp | Unknown
Object
Object Detail
Settings
Unknown
Date
circa 1850
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Unknown (Unknown)
Origin
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Congregation
Unknown
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Unknown
Period Detail
Collection
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Material / Technique
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
17 cm
Length
Width
21.4 cm
Depth
12.5 cm
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Subject
Unknown |
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Summary and Remarks
Remarks
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
Main Surveys & Excavations
Bibliography
Short Name
Full Name
Volume
Page
Type
Documenter
|
Author of description
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Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
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Section Head
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Language Editor
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Donor
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Negative/Photo. No.
S131546