Pomegranate based on a Synagogue lamp pendant

The original object was made in Tetuan, Morocco, in the early 20th century, and belongs to the Feuchtwanger Collection, purchased and donated to the Israel Museum by Baruch and Ruth Rappaport, Geneva.
The pomegranate is one of the seven species with which the land of Israel was blessed. Because of its large number of seeds, the fruit was seen as a symbol of abundance and fertility, and its beautiful shape made it a popular ornament on houses, vessels, coins, garments, etc. Its importance in antiquity is evidenced by how frequently it appears in art of the ancient Near East.
Many vessels shaped like pomegranates were found in temples and tombs across the land of Israel, and they are therefore believed to be cult objects.