Minneapolis Institute of Art

Hanukkah lamp

Silversmith: Rotger (Rudiger) Herfurth

Date

c. 1760

Medium

Silver

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

In 1711 the Jewish ghetto of Frankfurt was destroyed by fire, prompting a resurgence of Jewish ceremonial art commissions. Roger Herfurth, a Christian silversmith, was uniquely positioned to take advantage of this demand, creating more than thirty documented works of ceremonial art for Jewish patrons. His Hanukkah lamp design features a chest-shaped container for oil, a solid back plate ornamented with repoussé shells and scrolls surrounding a Temple menorah, and rampant lions flanking a crowned cartouche. This form became so popular that it was replicated well into the 19th century and is still referred to as the Frankfurt type. Germany, Europe

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