John Smyth & Sons
Synagogue Lamp

CultureIrish
Titles
  • Synagogue Lamp
Date1891
MediumSterling silver and colored stones
Dimensions41 1/2 × 17 5/16 × 16 3/4 in. (105.4 × 44 × 42.5 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by the Weingarten Schnitzer Family
Object number2023.27
Current Location
The Caroline Wiess Law Building
200 Brown Gallery
On view

Explore Further

Object Type
Provenance[The Halpern Judaica Collection: Tradition and Treasure, Part I, Sotheby's, New York, December 15, 2022, Lot 41]; purchased by MFAH, 2023.
Exhibition HistoryNone
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Engraved in Hebrew around the rim: “In eternal memory of the members of our community here in Dublin, may its Rock and Redeemer protect it, for from the year [5]552 [1791], when the synagogue was closed, nothing was done for their souls, and now, after the passage of one hundred years, the members of the community donated money to light the memorial lamp in their memory. May their souls be bound up in the Bond of Life. The eve of Rosh Hashanah [5]652 [1891].”

Engraved on the lobed medallions: the names of the Twelve Tribes of Israel


Marked on side: maker's mark for John Smyth [J.S]; Dublin assay mark [Hibernia]; Irish sterling mark [crowned harp]; date mark for 1891 [V]

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

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Torah Finials
Second half of 19th century
Silver, gilding, turquoise and red semi-precious stones
2023.33.A,.B
Overall recto
19th century
Silk embroidered with metallic and silk threads
2023.611
Claret Jug
George Fox
1880
Sterling silver, gilt, cabochon red stones or glass
94.45
Torah Crown
Late 18th-early 19th century
Silver, silver-gilt and paste stones
2023.30
Folk Art Papercut Mizrah
c. 1860
Ink and pigments with graphite on parchment
2023.607
Torah Ark Curtain
1850
Cotton, linen, metallic thread
2023.613
Kris Handle
late 18th–early 19th Century
Gold with inlaid glass and stones
2004.2272
Hanukkah  Lamp
1865
Silver and silver-gilt
2023.28
Wedding Belt Buckle
mid-19th century
Silver and silver-gilt
2023.38.A,.B
Torah Crown
mid 18th century
Silver and silver-gilt
2022.228
Comb
18th–19th century
Gold, precious stones, and buffalo horn
2006.534