Objects

Hanukkah lamp

A brass Hanukkah lamp dating from the turn of the 20th century, supported on four legs. It is equipped with an eight-burner trough – a recess for oil. It is topped with a crown, with a central baton that has not been preserved to modern times. Originally, it was a place for an additional burner – a shames – (Yiddish, from Hebrew "shamash" meaning "orderly") – used to light various parts of the trough. The lamp's openwork backrest features two lions standing on their hind legs in an antithetical arrangement. With their front paws, the animals support a bouquet stylised as a menorah. Under their hind paws there is an inscription in Hebrew: "Le-hadlik ner chanuka" ["Light up the Hanukkah lights"].

A Hanukkah lamp (Hebrew: hanukiy(y)a; Yiddish: chanike-łomp, chanike-layhter) is a candle holder associated with Hanukkah, an eight-day-long holiday starting on the 25th day of the Kislev month (around mid-December). It is related to the commemoration of the anniversary of the victory of Judah Maccabee's Jewish national liberation uprising over the Seleucids (Maccabean uprising) in 164 BC and, by extension, the ritual cleansing of the desecrated Jerusalem Temple and its rededication. New equipment was then made, and the small amount of undefiled oil found was used to light the fire in the temple – enough until a new batch was delivered. During Hanukkah, the candle holder is lit from the left, adding one more light each day after sunset. The Hanukkah lamp was usually placed in the window to shine on the world, but not to illuminate the room – its light cannot serve a practical purpose.

The exhibit comes from the studio of the Kalisz-based graphic artist Tadeusz Kulisiewicz, a professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. It underwent conservation in 2021.

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Information about the object
Author / creator
unknown
Object type
handicrafts
Place of creation
Poland (Europe)
Technique
metallurgical
Material
copper alloy
brass
Keywords
Copyright status
the object is not protected by copyright law
Owner
Muzeum Okręgowe Ziemi Kaliskiej
Identification number
MOZK/S.K./57