Mosaic of Menorah with Lulav and Ethrog
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The Hammam Lif Synagogue
A large mosaic found at the Tunisian town of Hammam Lif is so closely aligned with regional conventions that its structure was first identified as a Byzantine church. The presence of a Latin dedicatory inscription identifying the site as "Sancta Sinagoga" (Holy Synagogue), flanked by two Menorahs, revealed that it was a synagogue. The floor consisted of four mosaic carpets, integrating distinctly Jewish symbolism with popular motifs of the period, including a lion.
The menorah was often depicted flanked by symbolic ritual objects. Here, what appear to be the ethrog (citron) and lulav (date-palm branch) of the festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) were altered during restoration of the mosaic.
A large mosaic found at the Tunisian town of Hammam Lif is so closely aligned with regional conventions that its structure was first identified as a Byzantine church. The presence of a Latin dedicatory inscription identifying the site as "Sancta Sinagoga" (Holy Synagogue), flanked by two Menorahs, revealed that it was a synagogue. The floor consisted of four mosaic carpets, integrating distinctly Jewish symbolism with popular motifs of the period, including a lion.
The menorah was often depicted flanked by symbolic ritual objects. Here, what appear to be the ethrog (citron) and lulav (date-palm branch) of the festival of Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) were altered during restoration of the mosaic.
Artwork Details
- Title: Mosaic of Menorah with Lulav and Ethrog
- Date: 6th century
- Geography: Made in Tunisia, excavated Hammam Lif Synagogue
- Culture: North African (Hammam Lif, Tunisia)
- Medium: Stone tesserae
- Dimensions: 22 5/8 × 34 15/16 × 1 3/4 in., 110.5 lb. (57.4 × 88.8 × 4.4 cm, 50.1 kg)
- Classification: Mosaics
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum, New York, Museum Collection Fund (05.26)
- Rights and Reproduction: Photo by Brooklyn Museum
- Curatorial Department: Medieval Art and The Cloisters