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The oil lamps from this narrow period of history were made from clay. I have chosen to pay homage to the original artists and the ancient Jews by casting these Judaic lamps in bronze to give them a permanence and beauty that only bronze can impart.
These lamps convey a strict adherence to the precepts of the Torah and exhibit the first fruits offered to the temples during the Jewish festivals and holidays according to the Judaic calendar. They are so-called Darom meaning south from the southern part of Judea in which they were found.
My Judaica Bronze Oil Lamps depict my interpretation of the history of Jewish oil lamps from 70 C.E. to 135 C.E. found in various archaeological museums throughout Israel. I have created timeless, classical bronze oil lamps that portray 70 years of Jewish vessels of light. Each is an original, sculpt in wax and cast in bronze by the lost wax method.
After the fall of the 2nd Temple in 70 C.E., the Jews were driven from Jerusalem and subsisted in the caves and high lands of the desert. The artists desire to perpetuate their beliefs in their religion through physical means found their medium on coins and lamps of the era. These lamps pay witness to the religious tenacity of the ancient Jews and are the most exquisite lamps ever produced in Israel. The production ended when nearly a half million Jews where slaughtered, starved or enslaved by the Romans during the three years of the Bar Kokhba Revolt from 133 C.E. to 135 C.E.
CALIFORNIA SCULPTOR TO REINTERPRET THE ANCIENT DAROM LAMPS