A Silver Menorah
Visits The Met
Visits The Met
The holiday season is not just about Christmas. Just steps away from
the Christmas tree at The Met Fifth Avenue, a silver Hanukkah lamp from
nineteenth-century Poland, a loan from the Moldovan Family Collection,
is displayed in gallery 556.
As Abigail Rapoport, research associate for Judaica, explains: "this particular menorah embodies the crucial concept of hiddur mitzvah,
or the beautification of a Jewish ceremony through the use of beautiful objects." Although Hanukkah is over, this stunning menorah will be on view through the end of December.
Hanukkah lamp,
1866–72. Polish, Lviv (Lvov or Lemberg). Silver: cast, chased and engraved, 33 9/16 x 23 1/8 in. (85.3 x 58.7 cm). On loan from The Moldovan Family Collection
Lions and Flowers and Hanukkah Candles
Oh My! A Silver Menorah Visits The Met
November 30, 2018
Abigail Rapoport, Research Associate for Judaica, Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
Celebrate the holiday season at The Met with a visit to a spectacular silver Hanukkah lamp, generously on loan from the Moldovan Family Collection, on view in gallery 556
through December 2018. Both beautiful and functional, this remarkable
lamp was created in 1866 through 1872 in Lemberg (Lviv), Eastern Europe.
Its rich history connects the lamp to centuries of Hanukkah
celebrations across Jewish communities throughout the world.
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins this year on the evening of Sunday, December 2, and ends at sundown on Monday, December 10. The central ceremony of Hanukkah is the lighting of a Hanukkah lamp, also known as a menorah. During the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, one candle is lit each night to commemorate the grand lamp that was lit in the Holy Temple, and to recall a miracle connected with that lamp, when one day's worth of oil lasted for eight days. The Hanukkah lamp has since become a common symbol of Jewish faith and identity.
This splendid silver lamp, in particular, reminds me of Rabbi Joseph Juspa Hahn of Nördligen's (ca. 1560–1637) recommendation, in his book on Jewish customs, to use a silver Hanukkah lamp when possible. With its enchanting display of elegance and dynamism, this particular menorah embodies the crucial concept of hiddur mitzvah, or the beautification of a Jewish ceremony through the use of beautiful objects. The lamp's sheer scale, its grandeur and brilliance, communicate its central role in the holiday and commemorate the majestic ancient lamp.
The Jewish holiday of Hanukkah begins this year on the evening of Sunday, December 2, and ends at sundown on Monday, December 10. The central ceremony of Hanukkah is the lighting of a Hanukkah lamp, also known as a menorah. During the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights, one candle is lit each night to commemorate the grand lamp that was lit in the Holy Temple, and to recall a miracle connected with that lamp, when one day's worth of oil lasted for eight days. The Hanukkah lamp has since become a common symbol of Jewish faith and identity.
This splendid silver lamp, in particular, reminds me of Rabbi Joseph Juspa Hahn of Nördligen's (ca. 1560–1637) recommendation, in his book on Jewish customs, to use a silver Hanukkah lamp when possible. With its enchanting display of elegance and dynamism, this particular menorah embodies the crucial concept of hiddur mitzvah, or the beautification of a Jewish ceremony through the use of beautiful objects. The lamp's sheer scale, its grandeur and brilliance, communicate its central role in the holiday and commemorate the majestic ancient lamp.
Detail of menorah with eagle
Detail of menorah with lion base and inscription
Rendered with a masterful design and exquisite artisanship, the
Lemberg lamp is also striking for its mesmerizing details: A prominent
eagle crowning the lamp greets viewers with outstretched wings, inviting
one to delight in the lamp's miniature lively lions that mightily hold
up its base. I particularly enjoy tracing the lamp's intricate flowers
as an escape from the winter weather of the holiday season. To me, the
lamp's lively nature and light beautifully represent the Hebrew
inscription around its base, which reads: "With You is the fountain of
life, by Your light do we see light (Psalms 36:10)."
I'll be imagining this marvelous lamp, with its silver radiance
enhanced by flickering Hanukkah lights, as I light my own (smaller)
Hanukkah lamp this year. The Met and the Department of European Sculpture of Decorative Arts
are grateful to the Moldovan family for sharing their Hanukkah lamp
with the Museum, and its visitors, for another Hanukkah. It makes a
wonderful companion to the magnificent Baraffael family Hanukkah lamp, which was recently acquired by the Museum and is now on view in gallery 508.
Related Content
The silver Hanukkah lamp is on view in gallery 556 through December 2018, and the Baraffael family Hanukkah lamp is on view in gallery 508.
Baraffael Family Hanukkah Lamp 1773–75
Gaspare Vanneschi
This rare and sumptous silver lamp was commissioned by the wealthy Baraffael family in Rome. Their crest, a rooster grasping a stalk of wheat, is embossed near the top. A tipped oil jug and a lit nine-stem candelabrum known as a hanukiah suggest the lamp’s use during the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. The bees circling the jug are a moving tribute to one of the family members, Deborah (Hebrew for "bee"), who died in 1763.
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