Sabbath Lamp

Johann Valentin Schüler

1680–1720

Silver multi-tiered hanging lamp with sculpture of lion on top.
This Sabbath lamp, cast in silver in Frankfurt am Main, was originally commissioned for a private home. It was made by Johann Valentin Schüler, a craftsman who also produced many other Jewish ritual objects with his brother, in their shared studio. The cylindrical shape of this lamp is based on that of medieval fountains in public squares, probably in reference to the greeting of the Sabbath as a “fountain of blessing” in “Lekha dodi” (Come, my beloved), the hymn welcoming the Sabbath in the evening prayers. The figures on the cylinder hold symbols of the Jewish holidays and there are also animals and symbols of the zodiac. On top is a lion holding two flags, which are early twentieth-century replacements for what may have originally been in his paws.

Credits

Sabbath / Festival Lamp. Jewish Cultural Reconstruction / The Jewish Museum, New York.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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