Hanukkah Lamp

The central image on this repoussé lamp refers to one of the visions seen by the prophet Zechariah. His biblical book, written near the end of the Israelites' period of exile in Babylon, is filled with prophecies of the restoration of Judah and Jerusalem, the purification of the people, and the coming of the messianic age. It is read in synagogue on the Sabbath before Hanukkah. In the fifth vision, Zechariah sees a "lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on top of it, and its seven lamps thereon; there are seven pipes, yea, seven, to the lamps, which are upon the top thereof; and two olive-trees by it, one upon the right side of the bowl, and the other upon the left side thereof" (Zechariah 4:2-3). God tells Zechariah that the lampstand represented His word that the Israelites will prevail by divine spirit, and not by might, possibly a reference to the rebuilding of the Temple. The olive trees symbolize "the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth" (Zechariah 4:14), that is, Joshua and Zerubbabel, the high priest and the king at the time.
This vision has been interpreted in several ways on Italian Hanukkah lamps. Here, three bowls were placed one above the other, creating a fountain from which the oil flows into the containers. Other examples depict the two olive trees as well. The representation of an arm emerging from a cloud and pouring oil from a pitcher is a reference to the miracle of the jar of oil that burned for eight days. The hand therefore symbolizes the divine assistance rendered to the Maccabees and the people of Israel, and perhaps the divine spirit that will rebuild the Temple.
The architectural frame on this and similar lamps consists of a scrolled, broken pediment, usually with a scallop-shell finial. These elements, combined with the lattice pattern on the pediment, indicate a date in the first half of the eighteenth century for this lamp. The cornucopia finial and the candleholders are probably later additions.