A carved rectangular architectural panel with frieze of running tetragammadion motifs with rosettes, to the centre a menorah with a ring and pellet above.

PROVENANCE:
Ex Dalloul collection; acquired in the 1960s.

FOOTNOTES:
The seven-branched menorah (pl. menorot) is one of the oldest and most enduring symbols of Judaism, the original having stood in the Temple in Jerusalem, supposedly crafted following divine instructions given to Moses at Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:31-40). It was not originally a candlestick, as commonly believed, but burned fresh, pure olive oil. Representations of menorot have been found on Jewish tombs dating as far back as the 1st century BC. The somewhat angular branches of this example resemble the earliest known depiction of such an item, excavated at Magdala in the Galilee in 2009, and dating from before the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD. The most famous ancient depiction of a menorah, however, remains that of the Temple menorah itself, looted by the Romans during the sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple. This was depicted on the Arch of Trajan in Rome; the depiction remains in situ.