Loading

Hanukkah lamp made of tin intended for sardine cans

Meir Ben Ammica. 1950

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Jerusalem, Israel

This unique Hanukkah lamp is made of strips of printed tin that were originally intended for sardine cans. Alms boxes were regularly made of the same material. In Morocco, canning sardines was a predominantly Jewish industry, especially along the western coast. The lamp was created by Meir Ben Ammi, who was born in Mazagan, Morocco, in 1910, where he worked with his father as a tinsmith. In 1955 he immigrated to Israel and settled in Beit She'an. He would often add the initials of a bride and groom on a lamp and present it to them as a wedding gift, but few of these gifts were actually retained after Hanukkah.

Credit: The Zeyde Schulmann Collection in the Israel Museum

Details

  • Title: Hanukkah lamp made of tin intended for sardine cans
  • Creator: Meir Ben Ammi
  • Creator Lifespan: 1910
  • Creator Birth Place: Mazagan, Morocco
  • Date Created: ca. 1950
  • Location: Mazagan, Morocco
  • Type: Hanukkah lamp
  • Rights: The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Photo © Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Avraham Hay
  • External Link: Israel Museum, Jerusalem
  • Medium: Cut plates and strips of tin, scraps of cloth, and pieces of glass
  • Dimensions: H: 37.5; W: 26 cm
  • Curator: Benjamin, Chaya

Get the app

Explore museums and play with Art Transfer, Pocket Galleries, Art Selfie, and more

Flash this QR Code to get the app
Google apps