Hanukkah Lamp (Nuremberg)
Matheus Staedlein
1716–1735
This Hanukkah menorah was made in Nuremberg, Germany, where it was characteristic in the eighteenth century for Hanukkah lamps to include a parchment with the blessings for lighting. At the time, however, Jews were forbidden to live in Nuremberg. This Hanukkah lamp may have been purchased elsewhere, or the Nuremberg silversmith, Matheus Staedlein, may have had Jewish clientele who lived elsewhere.
Credits
Hanukkah Lamp. Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman / The Jewish Museum, New York.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
You may also like
A Song That Ought to Be Sung Every Day
Medicina de la lengua (Medicine of the Tongue)
Mesilat yesharim (Path of the Upright)
Tokhaḥat megula (The Admonition of Magula)
Libes briv (Love Letter)
Creator Bio
Matheus Staedlein
Matheus Staedlein was a silversmith active in Nuremberg, Germany, between 1716 and 1735. Only six examples of his work are known, five of them Jewish ceremonial objects.
Related Guide
Early Modern Rabbis and Intellectuals on the Move
Carrying books and knowledge, itinerant rabbis and scholars traveled between communities, facilitating cultural exchange.
Related Guide
Early Modern Jewish Languages (1500–1750)
As Ashkenazi and Sephardi Jews migrated eastward, Yiddish and Ladino emerged as distinct languages. Both languages developed literary traditions, as print became more widespread.
Related Guide
Spiritual Ideologies, 1500–1750
Early modern Jewish spiritual life encompassed diverse elements, including theology, ethics, liturgy, and messianism.