Lámpara de pie de Hanukkah

This large lamp is one of the masterpieces of Jerusalem’s Bezalel School of Arts and Design, the first modern design school of Jewish ritual objects. A lamp such as this one would have been used in a public synagogue or a private, wealthy household. This lamp takes the form of the menorah, the seven-branched lampstand of the ancient wilderness Tabernacle or mishkan, according to the description in the book of Exodus, and the Temple in Jerusalem. However, two more branches have been added to the Hanukkiah (Hanukkah menorah) to allow for the required eight lights of Hanukkah, plus the shamash, or central server light. The eight lights commemorate the miracle of Hanukkah: when the Temple plundered by the Greek Assyrians was rededicated, there was only enough of a special oil for the eternal flame in the Temple to burn for one day, but the oil burned for eight days until a fresh supply of sacred oil could be made. 

In the early 20th century, Zionists called for the revival of Jewish national identity through culture and art. In response Ze’ev Raban developed his own original “Hebrew style” in his designs for ritual objects, a style distinct from the Christian and secular artistic traditions of Europe.

For this lamp, which is considered one of his masterpieces, Raban was inspired by the Bible’s descriptions of the Tabernacle menorah and the depiction of the looting of the Second Temple (circa 516 BCE to 70 CE) and its menorah on the Arch of Titus in Rome. Raban and other Israeli artists created their “Hebrew style” rooted in the belief that the artistic traditions of the local Arab and Jewish communities of the Middle East were closest to the forms and styles of art of the ancient Israelites.

tags: simetría, equilibrio, función, significado, patrón