An Important and Rare German Silver Hanging Sabbath Lamp, Gottfried Bartermann, Augsburg, 1761-63

of multi-baluster form, spirally lobed and fluted and chased with trailing flower sprays, surmounted by an open crown above a pierced gallery mounted with three (originally four) putti holding musical instruments, the lower body applied with projecting flower sprays, with eight arms each chased with a flowering plant, conforming pear-shaped drip pan below, inscribed below gallery with contemporary lengthy presentation inscription, marked with maker's mark and city mark combined with date letter on upper and lower sections of stem, base of lamp, and drip pan

The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Sacred Beauty: Treasures of Judaica and Jewish Ethnography, 2005.

vase-shaped top above crown probably a later addition, as noted re: one putto from gallery and figures probably originally linked by swags, patch in one arm, crossbar added to drip pan, several bruises and minor repairs but overall remarkable survival
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The inscription (translated) on the lamp reads:
Moses the son of Rabbi Issachar Ber Ulmo of Pfersee, donated this in honor of God and in honor of the Congregation and in eternal memory of his soul, to the synagogue here in the holy community of Pfersee.  In the year "the [seven] lamps shall give light in front of the candlestick" (Numbers 8:2) = 1763

Moses Ulmo was a member of the distinguished Ulmo / Ullmann family, which was well-known throughout Germany and can be traced back to the Ulmo-Guenzburgs.  The Ullmanns were among the most prominent families of the Ashkenazic world; in the 16th and 17th centuries they actively pursued strategic marriages which connected them to important rabbinical families as well as to the wealthy Court Jews throughout Europe.  During the 17th and 18th centuries members of the Ullmann family of Pfersee were appointed Court Jews to both the Prince-Bishops of Augsburg and the Imperial Court in Vienna.

Pfersee is a small town near  Augsburg, on the trade route to Venice; Jews settled here in the late middle ages when expelled from the Imperial city of Augsburg, and it was the center of Judaism for Swabia.  The Community dispersed during the 19th century.

Gottfried Bartermann was born in 1705 and became Master in 1733, the same year he married Maria Regina Adam.  Bartermann married secondly in 1750, and died in 1769 at the age of sixty-four.  He was the son of Johann Bartermann I (1661-1732), who was a major silversmith whose works included silver furniture, wine fountains and altar candlesticks.

The form of this lamp, with oil fonts arranged in a star, is known in German as a Judenstern, meaning "Jewish Star." This style of lamp is typically found made of brass in Germany, although Dutch, Italian and a few English versions exist.  German silver examples are extremely rare, the best known being those by Johann Adam Boller in Frankfurt at the beginning of the 18^th century, and of which is in the Collection of the Congregation Emanu-El, New York (see Cissy Grossman, A Temple Treasury, no. 87). Design elements, such as the putti and chased decoration, can be found on other vessels made by Gottfried Bartermann.  A 1751-53 tureen features floral garlands very similar to those seen on the present lot, and a 1761-63 centerpiece is topped by a winged putto which appears to be closely related to those perched on the lamp's gallery (see Helmut Selig, Die Kunst de Augsburger Goldschmiede 1529-1868, nos. 731, 734-35).Bartermann also was responsible for a Torah Pointer, 1737-39, in the Jewish Museum, New York (JM 129-52, Grafman 1996, no. 522, p. 295).