Lot n° 8
Estimation :
80000 - 120000
EUR
Result with fees
Result
: 169 000EUR
A unique and extremely important Austrian... - Lot 8 - Pierre Bergé & Associés
A unique and extremely important Austrian Empire porcelain Hannukah lamp in its original wooden frame
Most probably Bohemia, circa 1840
This very impressive lamp is probably the most important work of Judaica in porcelain known to date in the world. This exceptional work of art has survived for almost 200 years in a particularly remarkable state of conservation. It is distinguished both by its size and its production techniques, as well as by the immense work of decorating each piece, as well as the great attention paid to every detail, which make it an extraordinary work.
Avec cadre : H_95,5 cm L_68 cm, P_4 cm (37 ¹⁹/₃₂ x 26 ⁴⁹/₆₄ x 1 ³⁷/₆₄ in)
Sans cadre : H_76 cm L_49 cm (29 ⁵⁹/₆₄ x 19 ¹⁹/₆₄)
The production of porcelain in Bohemia began at the end of the 18th century and flourished during the first half of the 19th century. Several factories were established in the region, including those of Haas & Czjzek (Horni Slavkov) and Thun (Klasterec nad Ohri), and others of smaller size. We also trace the presence of Jewish families vacationing in this region known for its thermal springs, and in particular those of Marienbad, Karlsbad and Franzenbad, from the end of the 18th century. In the middle of the 19th century, Jewish communities settled in this spa region. This region then became the center of European Jewish life during the summer months. The cultural and intellectual atmosphere of these cities has managed to bring together ultra-Orthodox rabbis, moderate Jews and intellectuals such as Sigmund Freud. The Jewish clientele of these resorts was initially mostly wealthy people from across the Austrian Empire. We can assume that one of these wealthy clients originally from Galicia and in possession of a Hannukah lamp similar to the famous Brody lamp of 1787, which is exhibited in the Jewish Museum in New York (or even this precise lamp), would have shown it to one of the local factories and ordered the production of this unique porcelain model.
The origin of the lamp is also supported by the ceramics expert Mr. Sebastian Kuhn - Bonhams European Ceramics Department, who reported in July 2018 on his analysis of the lamp as follows : “The 19th century saw the proliferation of smaller porcelain factories across Europe which, by contrast, are far less well documented. In particular, the porcelain industry flourished in Silesia, Bohemia, Hungary and other areas of Central and Eastern Europe. The quality of the porcelain paste of the Hannukah lamp points to such a smaller maker, as it lacks the technical refinement and sophistication of a large manufactory. The similarity to a Central European silver prototype may also provide a clue as to the area of manufacture. The absence of any comparable porcelain example, and the technical ambition of firing such a large-scale porcelain piece, suggest that this Hannukah lamp was probably a special commission. The subject matter, and the technical qualities of the porcelain body, suggest a Central European maker of the 19th century”.
Furthermore, according to another expert analysis conducted by Benjamin Ralf Kotalla, who submitted the lamp to a thermoluminescence authenticity test in 2018 (Report N° 08R060918), the last time of firing of the object is estimated to be approximately 180 years ago, i.e., 1840.
Extracts from the report from Professor Shalom Sabar from 2018 are provided in the next pages.
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