Two pairs of candlesticks designed by Bernard (Dov) Friedlander / Michsaf. Palestine, [1930s-1940s].
White metal / silver plating.
1. Pair of candlesticks in a modern, minimalist design. Marked (Hebrew) "B. Friedlander" and "TH" ["Totzeret Haaretz, " i.e., "Product of Palestine"]. Height: 15 cm.
2. Pair of tall candlesticks. Marked "Michsaf." Height: 21 cm.
Bernard (Dov) Friedlander (1881-1941), "pioneer of the fine metalworking industry in Palestine, " was born in Poland. He was trained in the art of silversmithing in Łódź, Warsaw, Odessa, Tbilisi, and Berlin. Friedlander moved to Germany in 1913 and set up a workshop in Düsseldorf, creating ritual objects for synagogues in Düsseldorf, Essen, London, and a number of American cities. Immigrated to Palestine in 1932 and established a factory for metalworking and silver plating on Sheinkin St. in Tel Aviv. When Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert arrived in Palestine in 1933, Friedlander offered him a job in his workshop. The business moved outside of Tel Aviv (to Holon) in 1936. Owing to rising debts, Friedlander was forced to sell the company, which had then changed its name to "Michsaf."
For more information regarding Dov (Bernard) Friedlander, see the article by Jona Schellekens, "Hanukkiyot in the White City" in the Culture and Literature Section of the Haaretz newspaper, Dec. 23, 2016.
