Two candelabra, one three-branched, the other four-branched, both in Modernist style. Palestine, "Totzeret Haaretz" (Bernard Friedlander), [1930s-1940s].
White metal / silver plating.
1. Four-branched candelabrum. With Hebrew marking, indicating product of Palestine. Thick, hexagonal main shaft, encircled by three thin shafts rising up to half the height of the main shaft. Three outspread arms, with tall, wide, cylindrical candleholder surmounting each. Additional candleholder surmounting main shaft. Supported on three-step pedestal. Height: 33 cm. Maximum width: 23 cm.
2. Three-branched candelabrum. Marked (Hebrew) "Totzeret Haaretz" ("Product of Palestine"). Thick, triangular main shaft, encircled by three thin, cylindrical shafts rising up to half the height of the main shaft. Three outspread arms, with candleholder surmounting each. Spherical knob surmounting main shaft. Supported on round, four-step pedestal. Height: 32 cm. Maximum width: 23 cm.
Bernard (Dov) Friedlander (1881-1941), "pioneer of the fine metalworking industry in Palestine, " was born in Poland. He was trained in the art of silversmithing in Łódź, Warsaw, Odessa, Tbilisi, and Berlin. Friedlander moved to Germany in 1913 and set up a workshop in Düsseldorf, creating ritual objects for synagogues in Düsseldorf, Essen, London, and a number of American cities. Immigrated to Palestine in 1932 and established a factory for metalworking and silver plating on Sheinkin St. in Tel Aviv. When Ludwig Yehuda Wolpert arrived in Palestine in 1933, Friedlander offered him a job in his workshop. The business moved outside of Tel Aviv (to Holon) in 1936. Owing to rising debts, Friedlander was forced to sell the company, which had then changed its name to "Michsaf."
For more information regarding Dov (Bernard) Friedlander, see the article by Jona Schellekens, "Hanukkiyot in the White City" in the Culture and Literature Section of the Haaretz newspaper, Dec. 23, 2016.
