Hanukkah Lamp

The Neoclassical style of this lamp and its incorporation of cast-iron elements (in the form of two griffins and an altar) suggest an origin in Berlin around 1830. At the beginning of the nineteenth century iron began to be used for the first time for all forms of decorative arts, including jewelry. Berlin was at the forefront of this production, due to several factors. The Prussian kings sought to stimulate the economy by encouraging the mining and casting of a local resource, iron. In addition, a new type of furnace had been invented, which enabled the casting of very fine pieces for the first time, and these were introduced into Germany. Finally, the conquest of Prussia by Napoleon in 1806 raised the public consumption of iron goods to a new height in a patriotic fervor of support for the local industry. Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Prussia's chief architect, promoted Neoclassicism as the essence of the Prussian national style, as suggested by the form and decoration of this lamp. By the 1830s, the black surfaces of cast iron were increasingly covered in a patina, painted, or gilded, as seen here on the wings of the griffins and the flames of the altar. The contrast between the copper-alloy backplate, the gilding, and the black iron creates a bold decorative scheme that is echoed in the broad simple scrollwork framing the backplate.