Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Displaying 1 - 12 of 26
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $150
Unsold
11 postcards depicting Jews of Yemen and Djibouti. Various publishers and locales, [ca. 1900-30].
Nine of the postcards feature Jews originating from Yemen (some in Yemen, others in Palestine), and two feature Jews in Djibouti. One undivided-back postcard.
Average size: 9X14 cm. Condition varies.
Nine of the postcards feature Jews originating from Yemen (some in Yemen, others in Palestine), and two feature Jews in Djibouti. One undivided-back postcard.
Average size: 9X14 cm. Condition varies.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $800
Unsold
Pair of Torah finials. Yemen, [19th or early 20th century].
Cast brass (parcel silvered), repoussé and engraved.
Slender, elegant pair of Yemenite-style Torah finials. Faceted baluster form, upper body with two faceted pear-like knops; lower body with a decorated band and a gadrooned spheroid knop. Surfaces of both upper faceted knops with vegetal patterns and with two biblical verses, engraved in elegant Hebrew letters: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect / restoring the soul / the testimony of the Lord is sure" on one finial, and continuing: "making wise the simple. / The statutes of the Lord are right / gladdening the heart" (Psalms 19:8-9) on the other. Rings with bells. Lower sections of shafts decorated with minute arches.
These Torah finials are unusual insofar as typical Yemenite finials of this variety are almost entirely lacking in decorations, and in particular, inscriptions with biblical verses are very much the exception and not the rule.
Height: 31 cm. Missing bells. Minor fractures. Old soldering repairs.
Cast brass (parcel silvered), repoussé and engraved.
Slender, elegant pair of Yemenite-style Torah finials. Faceted baluster form, upper body with two faceted pear-like knops; lower body with a decorated band and a gadrooned spheroid knop. Surfaces of both upper faceted knops with vegetal patterns and with two biblical verses, engraved in elegant Hebrew letters: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect / restoring the soul / the testimony of the Lord is sure" on one finial, and continuing: "making wise the simple. / The statutes of the Lord are right / gladdening the heart" (Psalms 19:8-9) on the other. Rings with bells. Lower sections of shafts decorated with minute arches.
These Torah finials are unusual insofar as typical Yemenite finials of this variety are almost entirely lacking in decorations, and in particular, inscriptions with biblical verses are very much the exception and not the rule.
Height: 31 cm. Missing bells. Minor fractures. Old soldering repairs.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $1,500
Unsold
Pair of Torah finials. Yemen, [19th century].
Brass, cast and engraved.
Small, slender, elegant pair of Yemenite-style Torah finials. Baluster form, with two upper pear-like faceted knops, an undecorated band and a single gadrooned spheroid knop. Surfaces of both upper sections with vegetal patterns and with two biblical verses, engraved in particularly elegant Hebrew letters: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right" on one finial, and continuing: "gladdening the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psalms 19:8-9) on the other. These very same verses also appear on the earliest known pair of Torah finials, dating from the 15th century and kept in the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
The present Torah finials are unusual insofar as typical Yemenite finials of this variety are almost entirely lacking in decorations, and in particular, inscriptions with biblical verses are very much the exception and not the rule.
Height: 20.5-21 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes to shaft. Shafts may have been shortened over the years.
Brass, cast and engraved.
Small, slender, elegant pair of Yemenite-style Torah finials. Baluster form, with two upper pear-like faceted knops, an undecorated band and a single gadrooned spheroid knop. Surfaces of both upper sections with vegetal patterns and with two biblical verses, engraved in particularly elegant Hebrew letters: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; the statutes of the Lord are right" on one finial, and continuing: "gladdening the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes" (Psalms 19:8-9) on the other. These very same verses also appear on the earliest known pair of Torah finials, dating from the 15th century and kept in the Cathedral of Santa Maria in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
The present Torah finials are unusual insofar as typical Yemenite finials of this variety are almost entirely lacking in decorations, and in particular, inscriptions with biblical verses are very much the exception and not the rule.
Height: 20.5-21 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes to shaft. Shafts may have been shortened over the years.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $400
Unsold
Pair of Torah finials. Southern Yemen (rural Yemen), [early 20th century].
Sheet silver, cut, soldered, punched, and engraved; granulation.
Pair of small, lightweight Yemenite Torah finials, made from sheet silver. Conical head surmounted by tapering dome. Body in form of inverted cone. Polygonal shaft. Surface densely and entirely filled with patterns consisting of lines, dots, and diamond shapes. Chains with bells.
See similar Torah finials originating from the city of Aden, Yemen, on the website of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Center for Jewish Art (CJA), item nos. 12864, 12865.
Height: 19-19.5 cm. Warping. Old soldering repairs.
This particular pair of Torah finials was displayed at the exhibition entitled "The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture," curated by Ester
Muchawsky-Schnapper, at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, in the year 2000.
Sheet silver, cut, soldered, punched, and engraved; granulation.
Pair of small, lightweight Yemenite Torah finials, made from sheet silver. Conical head surmounted by tapering dome. Body in form of inverted cone. Polygonal shaft. Surface densely and entirely filled with patterns consisting of lines, dots, and diamond shapes. Chains with bells.
See similar Torah finials originating from the city of Aden, Yemen, on the website of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Center for Jewish Art (CJA), item nos. 12864, 12865.
Height: 19-19.5 cm. Warping. Old soldering repairs.
This particular pair of Torah finials was displayed at the exhibition entitled "The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture," curated by Ester
Muchawsky-Schnapper, at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, in the year 2000.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $200
Unsold
Torah pointer. Yemen, [first half of 20th century].
Silver, cast, punched, and engraved.
Long, thin Torah pointer. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verse and dedicatory and other inscriptions on handle: "Shaddai"; "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul," "the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalms 19:8); and "Garameh Yihya." Handle surmounted by ring, from which two bells and an additional ornament (partly missing) are suspended.
Length: 23 cm.
Silver, cast, punched, and engraved.
Long, thin Torah pointer. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verse and dedicatory and other inscriptions on handle: "Shaddai"; "The Torah of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul," "the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalms 19:8); and "Garameh Yihya." Handle surmounted by ring, from which two bells and an additional ornament (partly missing) are suspended.
Length: 23 cm.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $400
Unsold
Two Torah pointers. Yemen, [first half of 20th century].
Silver, cast, punched, and engraved; filigree.
1. Upper part of handle flat, becoming square further down. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verse: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect / restoring the soul" (Psalms 19:8). Decorated with stripes and circles. Handle surmounted by suspension ring, with pair of bells and filigreed flower-shaped ornament attached. Hand with long index finger at end. Length: 27 cm.
2. Long, thin Torah pointer, decorated with stripes and circles. Rings at top of handle with five suspended bells (two of them partly crushed). Length: 24 cm.
Silver, cast, punched, and engraved; filigree.
1. Upper part of handle flat, becoming square further down. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verse: "The Torah of the Lord is perfect / restoring the soul" (Psalms 19:8). Decorated with stripes and circles. Handle surmounted by suspension ring, with pair of bells and filigreed flower-shaped ornament attached. Hand with long index finger at end. Length: 27 cm.
2. Long, thin Torah pointer, decorated with stripes and circles. Rings at top of handle with five suspended bells (two of them partly crushed). Length: 24 cm.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $300
Unsold
Three Torah pointers. Yemen, [first half of 20th century].
Brass, cast, punched, and engraved; copper, cast, punched, and engraved; silver bell.
Three long, thin Torah pointers, with pointed apexes.
1. Top of handle fan-shaped. Engraved with two Hebrew biblical verses. Length: 31 cm.
2. Handle surmounted by suspension ring with silver bell attached. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verses (Psalms 19:8-9, Deuteronomy 33:10, Psalms 19:10); and with the Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "Meshulam son of / […] Rabbi / Zekhariah […]". Length: 26.5 cm.
3. Copper Torah pointer. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verses (Deuteronomy 33:4; 4:44, Psalms 19:8); and with the Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "[…] property of Avraham Gahash". Length: 29 cm.
Brass, cast, punched, and engraved; copper, cast, punched, and engraved; silver bell.
Three long, thin Torah pointers, with pointed apexes.
1. Top of handle fan-shaped. Engraved with two Hebrew biblical verses. Length: 31 cm.
2. Handle surmounted by suspension ring with silver bell attached. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verses (Psalms 19:8-9, Deuteronomy 33:10, Psalms 19:10); and with the Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "Meshulam son of / […] Rabbi / Zekhariah […]". Length: 26.5 cm.
3. Copper Torah pointer. Engraved with Hebrew biblical verses (Deuteronomy 33:4; 4:44, Psalms 19:8); and with the Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "[…] property of Avraham Gahash". Length: 29 cm.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $300
Unsold
Two Sabbath oil lamps ("mesrejeh"). Yemen, [19th century or earlier].
Soapstone (steatite), chiseled; iron handles.
Two oil lamps in form of ten-pointed stars. Both include a metal handle, screwed into a knob at the center of the oil pan, for carrying and suspension. The smaller lamp has an inner rim for supporting the oil wicks.
Diameter: 18 cm; 15 cm. Good condition. Fractures to smaller lamp.
Reference: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 172-73.
Soapstone (steatite), chiseled; iron handles.
Two oil lamps in form of ten-pointed stars. Both include a metal handle, screwed into a knob at the center of the oil pan, for carrying and suspension. The smaller lamp has an inner rim for supporting the oil wicks.
Diameter: 18 cm; 15 cm. Good condition. Fractures to smaller lamp.
Reference: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 172-73.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $400
Unsold
Two Sabbath oil lamps ("mesrejeh"). Yemen, [19th century or earlier].
Soapstone (steatite), chiseled; iron handles.
Two star-shaped oil lamps, one ten-pointed, the other eight-pointed (in some parts of Yemen, lamps such as these also served as Hanukkah lamps). Both lamps include a metal handle, screwed into a knob at the center of the oil pan, for carrying and suspension.
Diameter: 22 cm; 25.5 cm. Good condition. Minor fractures.
Reference: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 172-73.
Soapstone (steatite), chiseled; iron handles.
Two star-shaped oil lamps, one ten-pointed, the other eight-pointed (in some parts of Yemen, lamps such as these also served as Hanukkah lamps). Both lamps include a metal handle, screwed into a knob at the center of the oil pan, for carrying and suspension.
Diameter: 22 cm; 25.5 cm. Good condition. Minor fractures.
Reference: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 172-73.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $300
Unsold
Two Sabbath oil lamps ("mesrejeh"). Yemen, [19th century?].
Marble, chiseled; iron handle.
Two oil lamps shaped like round dishes with elevated, serrated rims. The rim of the larger lamp is also notched; the smaller lamp has four functional notches or grooves in the rim, intended specifically for oil wicks. The smaller lamp has a metal handle, screwed into a knob at the center of the oil pan, for carrying and suspension.
Diameter: 21 cm; 18 cm. Good condition. Fractures. Smaller lamp missing handle for carrying and suspension.
Reference: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 172-73.
Marble, chiseled; iron handle.
Two oil lamps shaped like round dishes with elevated, serrated rims. The rim of the larger lamp is also notched; the smaller lamp has four functional notches or grooves in the rim, intended specifically for oil wicks. The smaller lamp has a metal handle, screwed into a knob at the center of the oil pan, for carrying and suspension.
Diameter: 21 cm; 18 cm. Good condition. Fractures. Smaller lamp missing handle for carrying and suspension.
Reference: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 172-73.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $1,000
Unsold
Elegant women's "labbeh" necklace, used as bridal jewelry or for festive events. Sana'a, Yemen, [first half of 20th century].
Silver, gilt and filigree; glass.
The labbeh necklace represented the quintessential masterwork of the Jewish silversmiths of Sana'a; it was one of the distinctive trademarks of Sana'a's Jewish women. This piece of jewelry was presented to the bride as a gift either by her father or her bridegroom in time for her wedding, and was worn on the chin on the wedding day, during celebrations associated with childbirth, and at other festive events. Owing to its distinctive form – tiny, three-dimensional filigree links that create something resembling a net – the necklace is also sometimes referred to as a "labbeh shabk," that is, a net-like labbeh.
The long pendants consist of very small links in the shape of flowers, droplets, diamonds, spheres, and a crescent. In addition, there are short pendants of a type known as "awl" ("child"), that give the labbeh an additional name – "labbeh mi'wla " (i.e., "multiple children") – a term suggestive of the true purpose of marriage, namely the fulfillment of the mitzvah of procreation. Most of the tiny pendants are inlaid with minute glass beads. At the edge of the necklace, next to the clasp, are two large links in the shape of elongated hearts.
42X16 cm.
References: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 128-29; Ma'ase Rokem, pp. 89-102; the Hebrew-language website of the Association for Society and Culture, Documentation and Research of Yemenite Jews: teman.org.il.
Silver, gilt and filigree; glass.
The labbeh necklace represented the quintessential masterwork of the Jewish silversmiths of Sana'a; it was one of the distinctive trademarks of Sana'a's Jewish women. This piece of jewelry was presented to the bride as a gift either by her father or her bridegroom in time for her wedding, and was worn on the chin on the wedding day, during celebrations associated with childbirth, and at other festive events. Owing to its distinctive form – tiny, three-dimensional filigree links that create something resembling a net – the necklace is also sometimes referred to as a "labbeh shabk," that is, a net-like labbeh.
The long pendants consist of very small links in the shape of flowers, droplets, diamonds, spheres, and a crescent. In addition, there are short pendants of a type known as "awl" ("child"), that give the labbeh an additional name – "labbeh mi'wla " (i.e., "multiple children") – a term suggestive of the true purpose of marriage, namely the fulfillment of the mitzvah of procreation. Most of the tiny pendants are inlaid with minute glass beads. At the edge of the necklace, next to the clasp, are two large links in the shape of elongated hearts.
42X16 cm.
References: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, pp. 128-29; Ma'ase Rokem, pp. 89-102; the Hebrew-language website of the Association for Society and Culture, Documentation and Research of Yemenite Jews: teman.org.il.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue
Auction 81 - The Wily Lindwer Collection
July 13, 2021
Opening: $200
Unsold
"Zanabil" chain with ornate basket-like pendants. Sana'a, Yemen, [first half of 20th century].
Silver, gilt, filigree and granulation; glass.
Long chain consisting of very small silver links, some square and others ring-shaped, and, in front, tiny silver disks. The chain, that was reserved for festive occasions, was worn over the head covering ("karkush" or "gargush"). Pair of oval-shaped links set with colored glass beads suspended from the ends. Suspended from each link, two spherical ornaments and a basket-shaped pendant known as the "zanabil", also set with glass beads – all products of exceptionally meticulous filigree and granulation craftsmanship.
105X4 cm.
References: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, p. 126; Ma'ase Rokem, p. 116.
Silver, gilt, filigree and granulation; glass.
Long chain consisting of very small silver links, some square and others ring-shaped, and, in front, tiny silver disks. The chain, that was reserved for festive occasions, was worn over the head covering ("karkush" or "gargush"). Pair of oval-shaped links set with colored glass beads suspended from the ends. Suspended from each link, two spherical ornaments and a basket-shaped pendant known as the "zanabil", also set with glass beads – all products of exceptionally meticulous filigree and granulation craftsmanship.
105X4 cm.
References: The Yemenites, Two Thousand Years of Jewish Culture, p. 126; Ma'ase Rokem, p. 116.
Category
Yemen, the Arabian Peninsula and Ethiopia
Catalogue