Hanukkah lamp. [Germany or Italy, 17th-18th century].
Cast brass; brass sheet.
Unique and rare artifact. The general shape of the back-plate is triangular with ornamented edges, with open-work, topped with a crowned angel, supported by a pair of fowls. In the center - an oval medallion, supported by two boys and surrounded by a frame with masks on the top and on the lower part. A scene from the story "Hannah and her Seven Sons" is depicted in the medallion: the emperor sits on his throne with his officials and soldiers around him, and at his feet one of Hannah's boys, just before his execution (one soldier raises a sword).
An additional ornamentation appears on top of the back-plate which was, possibly, added later. A row of oblong and pinched oil fonts with a post at the end, holding the Shamash. It is possible that the original row of oil fonts was replaced by the existing one.
A paper label is pasted to the reverse, with the name of the philanthropist and businessman Solomon David Sassoon (1841-1894), father of the famous collector David Solomon Sassoon who lent the Hanukkah Lamp for an exhibition.
Length: 19.5 cm, width (excluding oil fonts): 21 cm. Fair-good condition. Some damages, breaks and old soldering repairs. Shamash is detached. A pinhole for suspension on top of back-plate.
Provenance: The Sassoon family collection.