This richly patterned silver lamp depicts a pair of lions guarding a menorah. Behind them, two priests hold torches for lighting the lamp. The artist may have based their hairstyles as well as the decoration and cut of their wide-sleeved tunics on Persian reliefs of the sixth through fourth century B.C.E. The closest parallel for the priests' costume is on a colored tile relief of a royal guardian from Susa, who holds a staff in front of him in the same way the priest holds the torch. Susa was excavated beginning in 1884, and the relief could possibly have served as a model for the artist who designed this lamp.
The columns and crenellated roof are suggestive of the ancient Jerusalem Temple, the focus of the Hanukkah story. The inclusion of common Middle Eastern stones-turquoise and carnelian-as well as the Yemenite-style filigree work further contribute to the Eastern character of the lamp. It was probably created in the silver filigree workshop, which was founded in 1908, two years after the opening of the Bezalel School.