Obj. ID: 37430
  Sacred and Ritual  Hanukkah lamp, Sefrou (Séfrou), circa 1900

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.

Almost all Chanukah lamps made in Morocco are either of artisan worked sheet brass or of sand cast brass. The largest of known Moroccan cast Chanukah menorahs, this giant example with its elegant pointed arches and distinctive side posts is one of the most impressive models extant. As in many examples of this type of lamp, there are representations of birds on the upper section of the cast lamp. Recent research indicates that this type was produced in Sefrou. Very delicate patterns are worked into the flat surfaces of the lamp, cast from the original model and then chased. The multiple Arabesque arches also give evidence of its origin in the culture of an Islamic land.