This is a rare Jewish silver menorah with seven oil pans at the bottom and a single oil pan at the top to hold consecrated oil, and it was made to celebrate the arrival of Shabbas, or the Sabbath, on a Friday night. . There are two lions flanking the Hebrew letters in the center. The lions are the symbol of the tribe of Judah, which produced David and Solomon. The Hebrew letters read "Baruch Ahtaw", which means "Blessed Art Thou" and are the opening words to the Friday night prayer which ushers in the arrival of the Sabbath. The menorah has a six-sided star of David on the back and a maker's mark on the bottom, and elaborate decorations on the side panels near the bottom. There is also a groove on the back for hanging the menorah on a wall. It is very different from modern menorahs, which have candle holders instead of oil pans to usher in the Sabbath. We believe it is a European piece made from silver in the 1800's. With remnants of silver polish. The overall size is 11 3/8 in. high, 7 7/8 in. wide, and 3 3/8 in. deep. Provenance: the Hirsch estate.