Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
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Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $10,000
Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $22,500
Including buyer's premium
Silver container owned by Jeudah Senior of Curaçao, used as spice container (for Havdalah). Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 1858; inscription from 5619 (1858/1859).
Silver (marked, Dutch hallmarks; maker: J. Even); cast, repoussé and engraved.
Fine silver container designed as a goblet with a hinged lid. Octagonal base supporting an octagonal pear-shaped body, engraved with delicate foliate and floral designs. Dome-shaped, hinged lid which opens with a button, topped with a spherical finial.
Lid engraved with the name of the owner – Jeuda Senior, and the year, 5619 (1858/1859).
Jeudah (Yehuda) Senior (1817-1896), native of the island of Curaçao, was a fourth-generation descendant of Jewish settlers in the Caribbean Islands. In 1838, he left Curaçao and joined the small Jewish community in Coro, Venezuela, where he settled down, went into commerce and became an accomplished and prosperous businessman. Senior was a prominent figure in the Coro Jewish community, yet in 1855, he returned with his family to Curaçao. There, he joined the board of the Mikveh Israel synagogue and was active in the community, which was the mother-community of all the Jewish communities in the Caribbean Islands (the Jewish community was founded in 1651, shortly after the Dutch captured Curaçao from the Spanish, and it was comprised primarily of Portuguese and Spanish Jews from Amsterdam).
The Senior family was renowned as a family of traders and businessmen, who came to Amsterdam in 1598 and were amongst the first Jewish families of Spanish-Portuguese descent to settle there. They later immigrated to Venezuela. The Senior family is also closely connected to the Coro synagogue (now known as Casa de Oración Hebrea), which is considered one of the most ancient synagogues in Latin America: the house used as synagogue was purchased in 1847 by David Avraham Senior.
Height: 16.5 cm.
For an example of a spice container from Curaçao, see "Guidebook: the historic synagogue of the United Netherlands Portuguese Congregation 'Mikve Israel-Emanuel' of Curaçao", pp. 16-17 (no other spice containers from Curaçao are known).
For further information about Jeudah Senior and the Jewish communities of Curaçao and Coro, see: Josette C. Goldish, "Once Jews: Stories of Caribbean Sephardim." Princeton, 2009, pp. 64-79.
Silver (marked, Dutch hallmarks; maker: J. Even); cast, repoussé and engraved.
Fine silver container designed as a goblet with a hinged lid. Octagonal base supporting an octagonal pear-shaped body, engraved with delicate foliate and floral designs. Dome-shaped, hinged lid which opens with a button, topped with a spherical finial.
Lid engraved with the name of the owner – Jeuda Senior, and the year, 5619 (1858/1859).
Jeudah (Yehuda) Senior (1817-1896), native of the island of Curaçao, was a fourth-generation descendant of Jewish settlers in the Caribbean Islands. In 1838, he left Curaçao and joined the small Jewish community in Coro, Venezuela, where he settled down, went into commerce and became an accomplished and prosperous businessman. Senior was a prominent figure in the Coro Jewish community, yet in 1855, he returned with his family to Curaçao. There, he joined the board of the Mikveh Israel synagogue and was active in the community, which was the mother-community of all the Jewish communities in the Caribbean Islands (the Jewish community was founded in 1651, shortly after the Dutch captured Curaçao from the Spanish, and it was comprised primarily of Portuguese and Spanish Jews from Amsterdam).
The Senior family was renowned as a family of traders and businessmen, who came to Amsterdam in 1598 and were amongst the first Jewish families of Spanish-Portuguese descent to settle there. They later immigrated to Venezuela. The Senior family is also closely connected to the Coro synagogue (now known as Casa de Oración Hebrea), which is considered one of the most ancient synagogues in Latin America: the house used as synagogue was purchased in 1847 by David Avraham Senior.
Height: 16.5 cm.
For an example of a spice container from Curaçao, see "Guidebook: the historic synagogue of the United Netherlands Portuguese Congregation 'Mikve Israel-Emanuel' of Curaçao", pp. 16-17 (no other spice containers from Curaçao are known).
For further information about Jeudah Senior and the Jewish communities of Curaçao and Coro, see: Josette C. Goldish, "Once Jews: Stories of Caribbean Sephardim." Princeton, 2009, pp. 64-79.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $2,500
Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $3,125
Including buyer's premium
Large silver tankard, presented by the Jewish community of Colón, Panama, to the community leader Jacob Julius Sasso, 1909.
Silver, turned, cast and engraved. Marks of William Hutton & Sons Ltd., Sheffield, 1909.
Dedicatory inscription: "Presented to Mr. J. Julius Sasso / by the Hebrew Community / of / Colon Rep. of Panama / A token of appreciation / esteem and regard / 1st Tishri 5670 / 16th September 1909."
Julius (Jacob) Sasso (1878-1932) was a leader of the Jewish community of Colón, Panama. Born in St. Thomas in the Caribbean Islands, he immigrated to Panama and married Esther Hyman, from the Jewish community of Jamaica.
The first Jews who settled in Panama were exiles and Marranos from Spain and Portugal, who escaped the Iberian Peninsula to the New World. These were followed by Jews travelling from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast during the Gold Rush (mid-19th century), some of whom remained in Panama. In 1890, the Kahal Kadosh Yangakov (sic) congregation was founded in Colón, an English-speaking enclave in Panama. That same year, the city was decimated by a fire, which hit the community hard, but the construction of the Panama Canal brought a renewed economic surge to the city and in 1913, the community inaugurated its own synagogue, which was the first synagogue in Panama. Other Jewish communities, which were partially made up of descendants of Marranos who had returned to observing Judaism openly, were wary of calling too much attention to themselves in their Catholic, Spanish-speaking surroundings; in contrast, most of the population of Colón was Protestant and English-speaking, and the local Jews had the confidence to be prominent. The Panama communities were under considerable influence from the Jewish communities of the US, and for many years English, rather than Spanish, was the liturgical language in the community.
Maximum height: 16 cm. Diameter of base: 11 cm.
Silver, turned, cast and engraved. Marks of William Hutton & Sons Ltd., Sheffield, 1909.
Dedicatory inscription: "Presented to Mr. J. Julius Sasso / by the Hebrew Community / of / Colon Rep. of Panama / A token of appreciation / esteem and regard / 1st Tishri 5670 / 16th September 1909."
Julius (Jacob) Sasso (1878-1932) was a leader of the Jewish community of Colón, Panama. Born in St. Thomas in the Caribbean Islands, he immigrated to Panama and married Esther Hyman, from the Jewish community of Jamaica.
The first Jews who settled in Panama were exiles and Marranos from Spain and Portugal, who escaped the Iberian Peninsula to the New World. These were followed by Jews travelling from the East Coast of the United States to the West Coast during the Gold Rush (mid-19th century), some of whom remained in Panama. In 1890, the Kahal Kadosh Yangakov (sic) congregation was founded in Colón, an English-speaking enclave in Panama. That same year, the city was decimated by a fire, which hit the community hard, but the construction of the Panama Canal brought a renewed economic surge to the city and in 1913, the community inaugurated its own synagogue, which was the first synagogue in Panama. Other Jewish communities, which were partially made up of descendants of Marranos who had returned to observing Judaism openly, were wary of calling too much attention to themselves in their Catholic, Spanish-speaking surroundings; in contrast, most of the population of Colón was Protestant and English-speaking, and the local Jews had the confidence to be prominent. The Panama communities were under considerable influence from the Jewish communities of the US, and for many years English, rather than Spanish, was the liturgical language in the community.
Maximum height: 16 cm. Diameter of base: 11 cm.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Gavel with dedicatory inscription, presented to the Chebra Rofei Cholim Krakauer society. [New York], 1884.
Wood, turned, carved and painted.
Inscribed: "Presented by S. Fisch to the Chebra / 1884 / Rofei Cholm." The coat of arms of Krakow appears on bottom.
The Chebra Rofei Cholim Krakauer Society in New York was founded in 1855, at a time when Jews from Eastern Europe were a minority amongst American Jews who had emigrated from Western Europe. The first Jews to settle in North America were mostly members of Sephardic communities from Western Europe, descendants of Spanish and Portuguese exiles. In the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries, Jewish immigration to the United States was for the most part German; in the 1840s, conditions were ripe for increasing emigration of Eastern European Jews to the United States. Only in the 1880s, after the pogroms in Southern Russia, did the great wave of emigration from these parts begin, bringing millions of Eastern European Jews to the United States.
Mutual help societies for immigrants originating from the same city or state (Landsmanshaftn) provided their members with financial support in times of distress, sponsored medical care when necessary, assisted with burial costs and supported orphans and widows. These societies often acted as unofficial guilds based on common professions, as social circles and a replacement for the extended family; some adopted political and social agendas. In New York alone some 2060 such societies were recorded until WWI, from some 900 European cities and towns, including 21 societies of emigrants from Krakow and the surroundings alone. The Chebra Rofei Cholim Krakauer Society was the first of these 21 societies to be recorded. In the Washington cemetery in Brooklyn NY, there is a separate plot for members of this society.
Height: 32 cm. Minor defects.
Reference: Nathan M. Kaganoff, "The Jewish Landsmanshaftn in New York City in the Period Preceding World War I." American Jewish History, vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 56-66.
Wood, turned, carved and painted.
Inscribed: "Presented by S. Fisch to the Chebra / 1884 / Rofei Cholm." The coat of arms of Krakow appears on bottom.
The Chebra Rofei Cholim Krakauer Society in New York was founded in 1855, at a time when Jews from Eastern Europe were a minority amongst American Jews who had emigrated from Western Europe. The first Jews to settle in North America were mostly members of Sephardic communities from Western Europe, descendants of Spanish and Portuguese exiles. In the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries, Jewish immigration to the United States was for the most part German; in the 1840s, conditions were ripe for increasing emigration of Eastern European Jews to the United States. Only in the 1880s, after the pogroms in Southern Russia, did the great wave of emigration from these parts begin, bringing millions of Eastern European Jews to the United States.
Mutual help societies for immigrants originating from the same city or state (Landsmanshaftn) provided their members with financial support in times of distress, sponsored medical care when necessary, assisted with burial costs and supported orphans and widows. These societies often acted as unofficial guilds based on common professions, as social circles and a replacement for the extended family; some adopted political and social agendas. In New York alone some 2060 such societies were recorded until WWI, from some 900 European cities and towns, including 21 societies of emigrants from Krakow and the surroundings alone. The Chebra Rofei Cholim Krakauer Society was the first of these 21 societies to be recorded. In the Washington cemetery in Brooklyn NY, there is a separate plot for members of this society.
Height: 32 cm. Minor defects.
Reference: Nathan M. Kaganoff, "The Jewish Landsmanshaftn in New York City in the Period Preceding World War I." American Jewish History, vol. 76, no. 1, pp. 56-66.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $12,000
Sold for: $6,250
Including buyer's premium
Embroidered length of cloth, used as a synagogue partition. Modena, Italy, 1670.
Embroidered linen cloth.
A unique article and a rare exemplar of both Italian embroidery and the handiwork of Jewish women. In all likelihood, it was donated to the synagogue, by the embroiderer herself, to serve as the partition separating the men's and women's sections of the sanctuary.
Embroidered inscription (Hebrew): "Thus shall you say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel [Exodus 19:3] / Modena, Year 5430 [1670]."
The abovementioned verse appears in the Bible as part of the introduction to the narrative in which the Torah is delivered to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. According to the midrash, the words "House of Jacob" is a reference to the women of Israel, whereas "Children of Israel" is defined as the men. The choice of this passage was apparently intended to emphasize the role played by women, both in the creation of this particular work of embroidery, and generally, in their acceptance of the Torah.
Height: 82 cm. Width: 188 cm. Stains and minor blemishes.
For a similar item, referred to as a "Sabbath Cloth, " see Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (curator and ed.), "Fabric of Jewish Life: Textiles from the Jewish Museum Collection, " Vol. 1, exhibition catalogue, The Jewish Museum, New York, 1977, cat. item no. 173.
Embroidered linen cloth.
A unique article and a rare exemplar of both Italian embroidery and the handiwork of Jewish women. In all likelihood, it was donated to the synagogue, by the embroiderer herself, to serve as the partition separating the men's and women's sections of the sanctuary.
Embroidered inscription (Hebrew): "Thus shall you say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israel [Exodus 19:3] / Modena, Year 5430 [1670]."
The abovementioned verse appears in the Bible as part of the introduction to the narrative in which the Torah is delivered to the Israelites at Mt. Sinai. According to the midrash, the words "House of Jacob" is a reference to the women of Israel, whereas "Children of Israel" is defined as the men. The choice of this passage was apparently intended to emphasize the role played by women, both in the creation of this particular work of embroidery, and generally, in their acceptance of the Torah.
Height: 82 cm. Width: 188 cm. Stains and minor blemishes.
For a similar item, referred to as a "Sabbath Cloth, " see Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (curator and ed.), "Fabric of Jewish Life: Textiles from the Jewish Museum Collection, " Vol. 1, exhibition catalogue, The Jewish Museum, New York, 1977, cat. item no. 173.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $2,000
Estimate: $3,000 - $4,000
Sold for: $2,500
Including buyer's premium
Torah ark curtain. Ischia, Gulf of Naples, Italy, 1883.
Cotton, goldwork; embroidered silk brocade; machine-embroidered ribbons.
Embroidered dedicatory inscription: "Donated by R. Mordechai Elhaik and his wife Virginia who were saved with their two sons from the earthquake in Ischia, on the night of Motzaei Shabbat Matot, 1883."
On the night of July 28, 1883, a severe earthquake hit the volcanic island of Ischia, one of the worst in its history. Thousands of people lost their lives in this earthquake, and many more were injured.
The curtain was donated to the synagogue where Mordechai and Virginia Elhaik prayed, in commemoration of their and their two sons' rescue from the earthquake.
The Elhaik surname originates from Spain, from whence it spread to various communities. The donors of this curtain may have been Jews from North Africa (Tunisia or Morocco) who settled in Italy.
Height: 190 cm, width: 138 cm. Minor defects. Suspension loops on verso.
Cotton, goldwork; embroidered silk brocade; machine-embroidered ribbons.
Embroidered dedicatory inscription: "Donated by R. Mordechai Elhaik and his wife Virginia who were saved with their two sons from the earthquake in Ischia, on the night of Motzaei Shabbat Matot, 1883."
On the night of July 28, 1883, a severe earthquake hit the volcanic island of Ischia, one of the worst in its history. Thousands of people lost their lives in this earthquake, and many more were injured.
The curtain was donated to the synagogue where Mordechai and Virginia Elhaik prayed, in commemoration of their and their two sons' rescue from the earthquake.
The Elhaik surname originates from Spain, from whence it spread to various communities. The donors of this curtain may have been Jews from North Africa (Tunisia or Morocco) who settled in Italy.
Height: 190 cm, width: 138 cm. Minor defects. Suspension loops on verso.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $4,000
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000
Unsold
Torah pointer. Livorno (?), Italy, [18th century].
Silver (unmarked), cast and repoussé; coral bead.
An exceptionally unique item, with no known equivalents.
Without the typical "hand" or fingers at tip. Spiraling handle, surmounted by large, ornate, crown-shaped openwork ornament. Crown consists of four slender leafy boughs, with additional leaflet-like ornaments in between them. Crown surmounts a hexagonal, three-tiered pedestal. Above this pedestal, enclosed by the large crown, is a smaller, flower-shaped crown. In the middle interior of the large crown and surmounting the inner floral crown is a column made of coral.
Length: 20 cm. Diameter of crown: 4 cm.
Silver (unmarked), cast and repoussé; coral bead.
An exceptionally unique item, with no known equivalents.
Without the typical "hand" or fingers at tip. Spiraling handle, surmounted by large, ornate, crown-shaped openwork ornament. Crown consists of four slender leafy boughs, with additional leaflet-like ornaments in between them. Crown surmounts a hexagonal, three-tiered pedestal. Above this pedestal, enclosed by the large crown, is a smaller, flower-shaped crown. In the middle interior of the large crown and surmounting the inner floral crown is a column made of coral.
Length: 20 cm. Diameter of crown: 4 cm.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $8,000 - $10,000
Unsold
Hanukkah lamp. Italy, [17th century].
Brass, cast.
Openwork back plate with central vase-like ornament: a winged angel squatting on a pedestal with a lid over his head, grasping scrolling tendrils that terminate as blossoms at the bases of flanking columns, in turn flanked by winged, horn-blowing angels (centaurs), facing outward and embracing pitchers. Underneath each pitcher is a lunar crescent bearing a human profile. At the top of the back plate is a cartouche flanked by a pair of putti that grasp the tips of the wings of the horn-blowing angels. The putti are seated on the central lid, resting their feet on the capitals of the columns. The cartouche is left blank; in all likelihood, it was reserved for a family seal.
Height: 17 cm. Width: 24 cm.
References: Mordechai Narkiss, "The Hanukkah Lamp, " Jerusalem, 1939, Pl. XI, item no. 31; Chaya Benjamin, "The Stieglitz Collection: Masterpieces of Jewish Art, " exhibition catalogue, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987, checklist item no. 123.
Brass, cast.
Openwork back plate with central vase-like ornament: a winged angel squatting on a pedestal with a lid over his head, grasping scrolling tendrils that terminate as blossoms at the bases of flanking columns, in turn flanked by winged, horn-blowing angels (centaurs), facing outward and embracing pitchers. Underneath each pitcher is a lunar crescent bearing a human profile. At the top of the back plate is a cartouche flanked by a pair of putti that grasp the tips of the wings of the horn-blowing angels. The putti are seated on the central lid, resting their feet on the capitals of the columns. The cartouche is left blank; in all likelihood, it was reserved for a family seal.
Height: 17 cm. Width: 24 cm.
References: Mordechai Narkiss, "The Hanukkah Lamp, " Jerusalem, 1939, Pl. XI, item no. 31; Chaya Benjamin, "The Stieglitz Collection: Masterpieces of Jewish Art, " exhibition catalogue, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987, checklist item no. 123.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000
Unsold
Hanukkah Lamp. Italy (Rome?), [18th century].
Brass, cast and engraved.
Back plate in the form of an arched gate, supported by two columns. Engraved with a large Menorah, two olive trees and a hand pouring oil from a jug (on the right).
Amphora-shaped suspension hook to top of back plate.
Height: 33 cm, width: 23 cm, depth: 8 cm.
Brass, cast and engraved.
Back plate in the form of an arched gate, supported by two columns. Engraved with a large Menorah, two olive trees and a hand pouring oil from a jug (on the right).
Amphora-shaped suspension hook to top of back plate.
Height: 33 cm, width: 23 cm, depth: 8 cm.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $7,000 - $9,000
Unsold
Hanukkah lamp. Italy (Rome?), [18th century].
Brass, cast.
Back plate in the form of an arched gate, supported by two columns. The columns are topped with baluster finials. Diamond-shaped suspension hook to top of back plate.
Height: 31 cm, width: 22 cm, depth: 8.5 cm.
Brass, cast.
Back plate in the form of an arched gate, supported by two columns. The columns are topped with baluster finials. Diamond-shaped suspension hook to top of back plate.
Height: 31 cm, width: 22 cm, depth: 8.5 cm.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $8,000
Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $11,250
Including buyer's premium
Hanukkah lamp. Italy, [18th century].
Sheet brass, repoussé, engraved and pierced; brass and silver rivets; glass oil lamps.
Large, impressive Hanukkah lamp. Unusual design, which, according to Mordechai Narkiss, was inspired by the decorative elements used in Hebrew printing in 18th century Italy, found in books printed in Livorno or Pisa (the Feuchtwanger collection includes a similar Hanukkah lamp, engraved with the printer's device of the Foa family).
Cartouche-shaped back plate, engraved with rocaille and tendrils. Shelf at bottom, with eight pierced openings for the oil lamps (small, shallow metal cups were originally used). An additional shelf for the servant light attached at top-left of back plate. Suspension ring.
This lamp originates from the private collection of Joseph Stieglitz, and it can be seen, hanging on the wall in his home, in a photograph appearing at the beginning of "The Stieglitz Collection: Masterpieces of Jewish Art" (Israel Museum, 1987), p. 10.
Height: 30 cm, maximum width: 36.5 cm. Servant light attached with silver rivets.
Reference: Isaiah Shachar, "Jewish Tradition in Art: The Feuchtwanger Collection of Judaica, " item no. 345; Mordechai Narkiss, "The Hanukkah Lamp, " item no. 137.
Provenance:
1. The collection of Joseph Stieglitz (1903-1955).
2. Hammersite, Special Auction Including Paintings and Judaica from the Stieglitz Estate, Tel Aviv, 21.2.2011, lot no. 11221.
Sheet brass, repoussé, engraved and pierced; brass and silver rivets; glass oil lamps.
Large, impressive Hanukkah lamp. Unusual design, which, according to Mordechai Narkiss, was inspired by the decorative elements used in Hebrew printing in 18th century Italy, found in books printed in Livorno or Pisa (the Feuchtwanger collection includes a similar Hanukkah lamp, engraved with the printer's device of the Foa family).
Cartouche-shaped back plate, engraved with rocaille and tendrils. Shelf at bottom, with eight pierced openings for the oil lamps (small, shallow metal cups were originally used). An additional shelf for the servant light attached at top-left of back plate. Suspension ring.
This lamp originates from the private collection of Joseph Stieglitz, and it can be seen, hanging on the wall in his home, in a photograph appearing at the beginning of "The Stieglitz Collection: Masterpieces of Jewish Art" (Israel Museum, 1987), p. 10.
Height: 30 cm, maximum width: 36.5 cm. Servant light attached with silver rivets.
Reference: Isaiah Shachar, "Jewish Tradition in Art: The Feuchtwanger Collection of Judaica, " item no. 345; Mordechai Narkiss, "The Hanukkah Lamp, " item no. 137.
Provenance:
1. The collection of Joseph Stieglitz (1903-1955).
2. Hammersite, Special Auction Including Paintings and Judaica from the Stieglitz Estate, Tel Aviv, 21.2.2011, lot no. 11221.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $4,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $12,500
Including buyer's premium
Amulet case. Venice, Italy, [18th century].
Silver, repoussé, punched, and engraved; gilt.
Double-sided amulet case, decorated in leaf and rocaille rococo motifs.
Surmounted by crown, in turn surmounted by clover-like ornament. An ornament in the shape of a cluster of grapes, symbolizing fertility and prosperity, is at the bottom. A heart-shaped cartouche inscribed with the Hebrew word "Shaddai" (Almighty) appears at the center of both sides of the amulet case. This cartouche is flanked by different images on either side of the object; on one side, the Tablets of the Law are to the right, and a conical ritual priestly head covering (or mitre; also inscribed with the word "Shaddai") is to the left; on the other side, to the right is a hand ladling out water from an ornate bowl, and to the left a pair of hands raised in the traditional hand posture of the Priestly Benediction.
Height: 12.5 cm. Width: 9 cm. Minor blemishes.
Silver, repoussé, punched, and engraved; gilt.
Double-sided amulet case, decorated in leaf and rocaille rococo motifs.
Surmounted by crown, in turn surmounted by clover-like ornament. An ornament in the shape of a cluster of grapes, symbolizing fertility and prosperity, is at the bottom. A heart-shaped cartouche inscribed with the Hebrew word "Shaddai" (Almighty) appears at the center of both sides of the amulet case. This cartouche is flanked by different images on either side of the object; on one side, the Tablets of the Law are to the right, and a conical ritual priestly head covering (or mitre; also inscribed with the word "Shaddai") is to the left; on the other side, to the right is a hand ladling out water from an ornate bowl, and to the left a pair of hands raised in the traditional hand posture of the Priestly Benediction.
Height: 12.5 cm. Width: 9 cm. Minor blemishes.
Catalogue
Auction 79 - Judaica from the Finkelstein Family Collection
June 21, 2021
Opening: $5,000
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000
Sold for: $8,750
Including buyer's premium
Torah pointer. Paris, France, [ca. late 19th century].
Silver (marked, French hallmarks).
Long, thick cylindrical pointer, exquisitely designed, with a pointing forefinger, and ornamental cuff and sleeve.
Long and detailed dedicatory inscription: "…from R. Moshe Hassan, in memory of the wife of his youth… Freha… and in memory of her dear sister… Ledicia, daughters of… R. David Cazes…".
The David Cazes mentioned in the inscription may be educator and historian David Cazès (1850-1913), respected member of the Jewish community in Tunis and founder of the first Alliance school in Tunis in 1878.
Length: 30.5 cm.
Silver (marked, French hallmarks).
Long, thick cylindrical pointer, exquisitely designed, with a pointing forefinger, and ornamental cuff and sleeve.
Long and detailed dedicatory inscription: "…from R. Moshe Hassan, in memory of the wife of his youth… Freha… and in memory of her dear sister… Ledicia, daughters of… R. David Cazes…".
The David Cazes mentioned in the inscription may be educator and historian David Cazès (1850-1913), respected member of the Jewish community in Tunis and founder of the first Alliance school in Tunis in 1878.
Length: 30.5 cm.
Catalogue