Lot 26
Charity Box – Chevra Kadisha – Europe, 19th Century or Early 20th Century
Large charity box with the riveted Hebrew inscription "'ח'ק" [Chevra Kadisha]. [Central Europe? 19th century or early 20th century].
Bent iron; rivets; wood.
A large box with double locking mechanism and two keys, supported by two elegant legs. Stylized rosette and border to front. The Hebrew letters "'ח'ק" [Chevra Kadisha] are affixed to the lid of the box, on both sides of the coin slot. The box is affixed to a wooden board, presumably taken from the wall on which it was placed.
To better safeguard public funds, charity boxes and the like were fitted with two different keys, each entrusted to a different warden.
12X19X23 cm, affixed to a 17X25 cm piece of wood. Good-fair condition. Bends. Minor blemishes. Rust. One key is bent. One lock mechanism broken. The wood is old and damaged.
