18th Century Polish Brass Hanukkah Lamp

The backplate is cast and featuring a deer in the center surrounded by open scrollwork. The side panels fitted with two servant lights, fronted by a row of eight oil fonts. Scholars theorize that these Polish Chanukah lamps that bear two servant lights (as opposed to the singular servant light normally found on a Hanukkah Lamp), served a purpose, having been used on one of the days that Hanukkah fell on the Sabbath, as Sabbath candlesticks. For another example, see page 298 of the book “Five Centuries of Hanukkah Lamps from The Jewish Museum: A Catalogue Raisonné”. This lamp was made by the technique known as "sand casting". This process begins with a wooden mold that was carved out to create negative space, which in turn is used to make the inverse form or shape to be used for the casting of metal. The mold is pressed into Fine sand mixed with clay, then removed, and molten brass poured into the impression. When a mold wears out, a casting from that mold is often used as the mold for