The backplate of this lamp is made of pierced metal that has been mounted on a silver backing. Every surface of the scrollwork is covered with engraved lines in a zigzag pattern, called wrigglework. Similar pierced designs with wriggled decoration were used on a variety of Moroccan ceremonial objects, including prayer shawl bags, memorial lights for women (kandil), and mezuzah covers. In Morocco, mezuzot (parchment scrolls containing prayers that Jews place on their doorposts) are housed in niches cut into the doorposts of the rooms in homes or synagogues. The niches are then protected by metal or fabric covers. The same form has been used for both the Hanukkah lamp backplate and the mezuzah cover. As a lamp, it resembles an ogee-shaped arch. When turned upside down, it becomes a shield-shaped mezuzah cover. An unusual inclusion with this lamp is a silver pick on a chain, possibly used for tending the wicks in the oil containers.
Hanukkah lamps and related works in this style come from Essaouira and Meknes and date to the early twentieth century.