- Object Name:
- Hanukkah Lamp
- Place Made:
- Bohemia (?) (Czech Republic)
- Date:
- 18th century (?)
- Medium:
- Copper alloy: repoussé
- Dimensions:
- 9 3/4 × 11 5/8 × 2 1/4 in. (24.8 × 29.5 × 5.7 cm)
- Credit Line:
- Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman
- Accession Number:
- F 3273
Not On View
The Jews of Prague were the first community to use the Star of David as their emblem, in the early seventeenth century. The Prague star, like the one on this lamp, had a hat in the center. Originally Jews in Bohemia were required to wear this distinctive headgear to differentiate themselves from Christians; eventually they embraced it as a welcome symbol of Jewish identity.
Information may change as a result of ongoing research.