Details
An Important Dutch Colonial Silver Shabbat and Festival Hanging Oil Lamp
Unidentified maker's mark of a horse facing to the left, a crowned letter P, probably for a Dutch Colonial settlement (possibly Paramaribo) circa 1730
This lamp of typical Portuguese Jewish form, consisting of five detachable parts:
-1) The shaped baluster hexafoil crown applied with six winged negro cherub masks with long earring pending, the shaped spreading top with an applied rim, the hook finely cast with knobbed ornaments and reeding.
-2) The vase-shaped short stem moulded with plain bands and similarly decorated with negro masks
-3) An open seven-light oil lamp with incurved sides, with finely cast hook and similarly decorated with negro masks and applied rim, baluster lower part.
-4) Circular lobed dripping pan with a similar hook, applied with similar winged negro masks and rim.
-5) Cast and finely chased cone weight with negro masks on stylised leaf ornament on scaled ground
Parts 1 to 5 marked with unidentified maker's mark of horse facing to the left and crowned letter P.
Parts 1 to 5 marked with later Dutch duty mark (dolphin) for 1859/1893 and one chain link marked with the old Dutch sword for 1814/1906
88 cm. (34.5 in.) high
(2228 gr.) (5)
Literature
Only few Silver Shabbat lamps are known f.e.:
-A Shabbat lamp made in The Hague, 1764, presumably by Michel Derièe, is in the Jewish Historical Museum, Amsterdam. (see: Belinfante p. 41)
-Edward van Voolen, a golden trail, Dutch-Jewish Culture in the Golden Age, Jewish Historical Museum, 1993, p. 9 with illustration of a silver Shabbat lamp by Hendrik Dauw, Leeuwarden, 1783, which was sold at Christie's London, Fine English and Foreign Silver, December 19, 1979, lot 55, plate 5.
-A Shabbat lamp by Otto Knoop, Amsterdam, circa 1740 sold at Christie's Amsterdam, Dutch, Foreign silver and Judaica, May 27, 1992 lot 1271, also illustrated at Christie's Review of the Season 1992, p. 185.
-Shabbat lamp by Hendrik Griste I, Amsterdam 1755, (dripbowl lacking) sold at Christie's New York, Fine Judaica, June 26, 1984 lot 123.
-Shabbat lamp by Pieter Bartholomeus van Linden, Amsterdam 1762, sold at Christie's Geneva, Highly Important Silver, May 12, 1982 lot 89, also illustrated at Christie's Review of the Season 1982, p. 227.
-A Shabbat lamp by Anthonie de Rooy, Amsterdam 1729, illustrated in M.H. Gans and Th.M. Duyvené-de Wit-Klinkhamer, Geschiedenis van het Nederlandse Zilver, Amsterdam 1958, fig. 81.
-These types of lamps, similar to contemporary Dutch models, were probably introduced to England by the Amsterdam Portuguese Jewish silversmith Abraham d'Oliveyra. Two such lamps are known to have been made by him: London 1726, see: M.H. Gans, Memorbook, p. 161 and London 1734, see: Barnet, Jewish Museum London, no. 373, p.331, fig. 148 and plate CXIV.
-Michael Clayton in the Collector's Dictionary of the Silver and Gold of Great Britain and North America registered three other such lamps made in England: by Hester Bateman in 1781 (illustrated idem p. 322), by William Spackman in 1722 and by Samuel Hennell in 1813 (idem p. 163 and 174)
