Hanukkah lamp made from the cap plate of a soldier, a member of the Prussian Grenadier infantry. [Germany, ca. 1770].
Hanukkah lamp created from the metal (cap) plate that once adorned the cap of a Grenadier infantryman in the Prussian army under the rule of Frederick the Great.
Sheet brass, repoussé, stamped.
The back plate is in the form of a tapering arch, and is stamped with various decorative elements associated with the Prussian kingdom and its army, including an eagle grasping arrows and a sword in its talons, at the center of an elegant cartouche inscribed with the words "Pro Gloria et Patria" ("For the sake of Glory and the Fatherland" – the motto appearing on flags of the Prussian army in the 18th century; weaponry alongside musical instruments and other accoutrements of the battlefield, such as canon barrels, spears, trumpets, and flags; and a medallion monogrammed with the letters "FR" representing to the Latin "Fredericus Rex" ("King Frederick") in reference to Frederick II ("the Great"), who reigned as King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786.
Surprisingly, a fair number of Hanukkah lamps created in secondary use from decorations that adorned 18th century army helmets have survived to this day; most can be found in museum collections, and most are unique, insofar as they differ from one another by representing a host of different countries over a relatively long period of time. For comparison, see: The Hanukkah Lamp, by Mordechai Narkiss. Jerusalem, 1939, item no. 173 + p. 100; The Israel Museum Collection, Jerusalem, item no. 118/617 (Feuchtwanger Collection HF 0351); Umberto Nahon Museum of Italian Jewish Art, Jerusalem, item no. ICMS-EIT-1253; The Jewish Museum, New York, item nos. F2765, F1704; and The Magnes Collection of Jewish Art and Life, the University of California, Berkeley, California, item nos. 67.1.4.37, 67.1.4.50.

Height: 26 cm. Width: 22 cm. Overall good condition. No servant light. Original small holes along edges, and several missing pieces of metal missing on account of the thinness of the material, and wear.

Reference and exhibitions:
1. From the Secular to the Sacred: Everyday Objects in Jewish Ritual Use, edited by Iris Fishof. Jerusalem, the Israel Museum, 1985, pp. 12-13 (Hebrew and English).
2. Jewish art, by Grace Cohen Grossman. [Southport], H. L. Levin Associates, 1995, p. 70.
3. Jodendom: een boek vol verhalen. Amsterdam, De Nieuwe Kerk, 2011-2012.
Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 010.002.042.
This Hanukkah lamp is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 37396.