Hanukkah Lamp

This contemporary black patinated and yellow brass Hanukkah lamp was designed in 1939 in Palestine and made in New York City at the Toby Pascher Workshop at the Jewish Museum in the 1970s by Ludwig Wolpert. A design of eight squared-off lion branches gently turned meets and crosses in a lattice design with the branches fusing at the base to form two feet. The shamash branch threads through the lattice, forming a rear support. Each branch has a simple brass candle cup. The Hebrew calligraphy at the top of this lamp is integrated into the overall design rather than as applied decoration, which is one of the characteristics of Wolpert's style and has been widely imitated. The phrase, "It is fitting to praise you" comes from "Rock of Ages" (Ma'oz Tzur, a liturgical poem), which is sung on Hanukkah.