Auction 92 Part 1 Rare and Important Items
Antisemitic beer stein. [Product of Dümler und Breide, Germany, Höhr-Grenzhausen (Westerwald), ca. late 19th century].
Ceramic half-liter beer mug or "stein, " with a lid and handle ("Deckelhumpen"); colored glaze. Lid secured with circular pewter frame with small pewter handle for opening and closing.
The reliefs on the mug – representing pictorial antisemitic tropes – depict the expulsion of Jews from Germany and the establishment of a Jewish kingdom, worshiping riches and gold, in the Land of Israel.
Two pictures appear in the bottom part of the stein. One of them shows a procession of Jews carrying off bags of money while being expelled by a German holding a broom in his hand. In the second picture, the Jews are shown arriving on board a ship at the shores of their new land, where they dance around the Golden Calf and are welcomed in the tent of the money changer "Aron Gojimschächter" ("Aaron Gentile-Butcher"). The Jews, their dogs, the Golden Calf, even the land itself – all have hooked noses. In the upper part of the mug are five medallions with depictions of Jewish figures: "Mammon" (representing the Lord of the Jews, after a verse from the New Testament, "Ye cannot serve God and Mammon" [Matthew 6:24]), Nathan Gneyst, Cohn Schwindler, and Levy Beschores. All have hooked noses, and some wear crowns. Between these figures is a depiction of the Great Temple and the captions (in German) "Long live the Kosher Nation" and "Judah above the entire world."
A large medallion on top of the lid shows a Jew with a walking stick, carrying a bag of money, encircled by the caption "Der Jtzig nimmt den Stab zur Hand und raiset ins Gelobte Land" ["The Jew takes the staff in hand and travels to the Promised Land"].
Height: 22 cm. Diameter at base: 10 cm. Good condition. Minor stains and blemishes. Few scratches and small cracks. Glaze somewhat faded in few spots.
Pair of textile items – large Torah ark curtain depicting the seven species, and matching reader's desk cover – decorated with elaborate embroidery and corresponding, rhyming inscriptions. Italy, [18th century].
Embroidery with silver and gold metallic thread, wrapped metal thread and flattened metal thread on velvet, with cardboard cutouts; metal sequins; brocade ribbons; metallic and cotton fringe; cotton, linen, brocade and silk backing, some colored; brass suspension rings.
1. Large Torah ark curtain for Shavuot.
In the center of the elaborate embroidery is a sheaf comprised of ears of wheat and barley, and one branch of each of the following trees (the seven species), tied together with a ribbon: vine, fig, pomegranate (with embroidery on red velvet mimicking the seeds), olive and date. The sheaf is topped with the inscription "Parochet HaKodesh", and flanked by a rhyming inscription about the seven species, in two stanzas (despite some uncertainty as to how the poem should be read, it appears that the upper six lines form one stanza, while the lower six lines make up the second stanza). Wide, elaborate border, embroidered with foliate and floral designs, within and around dozens of medallions (some oval shaped) and half-medallions. The medallions are decorated with seven different alternate designs. Four large corresponding ornaments in the inner corners of the border.
Considering the widespread custom (still practiced in some Jewish communities today) of adapting the synagogue ceremonial objects to the time of the year, it appears that the present Torah ark curtain was created to glorify the ark during Shavuot (and perhaps until Sukkot?), since the Bikkurim offered on Shavuot in the Temple consisted of the seven species.
210X150 cm; 2.5 cm and 4 cm long fringes on lower edge. 8 brass suspension rings (lacking 3 rings). Overall good condition. Some blemishes, tears and old repairs. Wear and unraveling to embroidery, fringes and cloth backing.
2. Reader's desk cover.
Rectangular cover. The center of the cover is occupied by a wide pillar-like decoration (possibly alluding to the pillar of prayer), flanked by a rhyming inscription in two stanzas. The style of embroidery, the poetic text and the border ornaments all resemble those of the curtain. The upper border ornament of the cover is sewn along the top only, and serves as a kind of valance. The four corner ornaments inside the border are partially made from silk brocade ribbons. Sewn to the cover (along the upper edge only) is a large sheet of brocade, presumably intended to cover the back part of the reader's desk, and to secure the embroidered cover on the reader's desk.
123X93 cm + additional sheet of fabric: 175X125 cm. Fringes: 7 cm. Overall good condition. Some blemishes and minor tears. Wear and unraveling to embroidery, fringes and cloth backing.
Unique pair of rare, splendid textile items, with elaborate, high-quality embroidery and unusual artistic motifs. Both textile items, and especially the Torah ark curtain, are notable for the uniqueness of their design, which is almost unparalleled in the world of Judaica.
The style of the Torah ark curtain merges design traditions originating from communities of Spanish Jews in the Ottoman Empire, together with the rich Italian textile and embroidery traditions. Thus, for instance, the four corner ornaments were certainly influenced by Ottoman embroidery, which often uses a pattern made of a central medallion, border, and corner ornaments (influenced by the ornaments on bindings of Turkish books), while the outer border reflects the tradition of Italian ornamentation and embroidery. The sheaf at the center of the Torah ark curtain may have also been influenced by the Turkish-Ottoman Etz Chaim design (Bindalli), originally comprised of a vase or central stem with branches spreading out and filling the whole surface. The present Torah ark curtain – which was certainly used by a synagogue of Spanish natives in Italy – thereby testifies both to the close ties and to the collaboration between Italian Jewry and Turkish Jewry. The central motif of this curtain – a sheaf comprising the seven species, is also unique and unusual; no other Jewish textile item bearing a similar ornament is known to us. It must be noted that this curtain is also unique for its asymmetric composition, which differs significantly from standard Torah ark curtain designs (usually symmetrical, both horizontally and vertically). The free movement of the branches in the sheaf together with the abundance of leaves and fruit create a very live and vivid image, surprising in its vitality. Only one other Torah ark curtain depicting the seven species is known to us, dated 1736 (Museo Ebraico di Roma, Inv. 430), but in that case the fruit are depicted independently, in the outer border, rather than at the center of the curtain.
Literature:
1. Esther Juhasz (ed.), Sephardi Jews in the Ottoman Empire: Aspects of Material Culture (Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1990), 65-119.
2. Vivian B. Mann (editor), Gardens and Ghettos, The Art of Jewish Life in Italy. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989, pp. 44-64.
3. Dora Liscia Bemporad, Olga Melasecchi (editors), Tutti i colori dell'Italia ebraica: tessuti preziosi dal Tempio di Gerusalemme al prêt-à-porter. Firenze: Giunti, Firenze musei, 2019, p. 154.
Architectural Hanukkah lamp. [Italy, 17th century].
Brass, cast and pierced; rivets.
Hanukkah lamp representing an early and uncommon architectural type. Back plate designed in form of a fence consisting of eight stylized columns and a slender rail. With two additional end-columns differing one from the other in size and shape, with the left-end column wider than the right; each end-column bears two apertures through which the two side panels are attached. The side panels are each shaped as the top of a tower with crenellations facing forward (unlike other architectural Hanukkah lamps in which the crenellations point upwards). At the center of the back panel is a tall tower surmounted by three crenellations. The tower is architecturally reminiscent of both Florence's Palazzo Vecchio and Siena's Palazzo Pubblico. The lamp's servant light, projecting forward, is attached just below the top of the tower. The row of rounded oil fonts, with pinched, pointed spouts for the wicks, is attached to the bottom of the back plate.
This early Hanukkah lamp belongs to a group of Italian lamps, dating from the 16th and 17th centuries, with architectural back plates usually modeled after city walls, palaces, and other monumental Baroque-style Italian Renaissance structures. This type of back plate, generally oriented widthwise, replaced the triangular back plate that characterized earlier Hanukkah lamps (mostly from Spain and Italy, but from other countries as well), which were inspired by the Gothic art of the Middle Ages.
A Hanukkah lamp similar to the one here is documented by Mordechai Narkiss in his book "The Hanukkah Lamp" (item no. 44, see below), but it has an additional panel above the fence, and lacks side panels. Another related Hanukkah lamp, belonging to the Judah L. Magnes Museum collection, Berkeley (item no. 67.1.4.13, see below; previously of the Strauss Collection), also lacks side panels, and lacks the tower-shaped structure at center and the servant light. In the Magnes Museum's catalogue of Hanukkah lamps, it is noted that this lamp may be only a fragment of a taller lamp, in which the servant light was attached at the top, similar to the lamp mentioned above, cited by Narkiss (no. 44). Considering the existing variants of this type of lamp and the particular characteristics of the present lamp, it is quite possible that in the case of the present specimen, the servant light and side panels were added at a later time. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the present lamp was intended to be hung on a wall, and its side panels were never meant to serve as a base for support (a feature which only developed later), a fact which strengthens the connection between this lamp and Italian Hanukkah lamps of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Height: 18.5 cm. Width: 26 cm. Depth: 6 cm. Overall good condition. Minor blemishes. Fracture to back plate. Old repair with tin to row of oil fonts.
For comparison and additional information, see: Mordechai Narkiss, The Hanukkah Lamp, Jerusalem, 1939 (Hebrew with English summary), item nos. 44-47; Hanukkah Lamps of the Judah L. Magnes Museum, Berkeley, California, 1977, item nos. MC 7, MC 8; Chaya Benjamin, The Stieglitz Collection: Masterpieces of Jewish Art, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987 (Hebrew and English), item nos. 127-129; The Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, item no. 4963; The V&A Museum, South Kensington, London, item no. M.415-1956.
Provenance: Collection of Raffaello Levi (1885-1971), Venice.
Amulet case. [Italy, 18th century].
Silver (unmarked); cast, repoussé, punched and engraved.
Amulet case, designed as a square box with a removable base plate. Both sides of the case bear the same design, with a central cartouche surrounded by acanthus leaves and topped with a large crown. The Holy Name Shin Dalet Yud is inscribed in the middle of one cartouche. The case is flanked on both sides with tall branches of stylized leaves and flowers; this is reminiscent of the architectural style of Italian amulets from the 17th and 18th centuries (and even earlier), incorporating pillars on each side of the case. A symmetric foliate ornament tops the case, with a sea-horse or another mythological creature at the center (regarding the use of mythological creatures in Italian Judaica, influenced by medieval art, see: Stieglitz collection, item 120). Suspension ring.
Since amulet cases often had Holy Names or kabbalistic letter combinations engraved or soldered on the front or on both sides, over the years they began serving as amulets on their own, even when not containing a parchment manuscript.
A high-quality, unusual type of an Italian amulet case.
For more information, see: Arte nella tradizione ebraica (Milano, 1963); Heinrich Frauberger, Uber alte Kultusgegenstände in Synagogue und Haus (1903), p. 88, fig. 118; Stieglitz collection, item 120.
Height: 7.8 cm, width: 7.8 cm, depth: 2 cm. Good condition. Small holes to bottom of case and to removable plate.
Amulet case. [Italy, 19th century].
Silver (unmarked), filigree; gilt.
Amulet case made from gilt silver threads (filigree) giving it a light, airy quality. Shaped as an elongated rectangular box, with a hinged lid. The Holy Name Shid Dalet Yud is inscribed on the front and back of the case. Suspension ring at the top of the lid.
Since amulet cases often had Holy Names or kabbalistic letter combinations engraved or soldered on the front or on both sides, over the years they began serving as amulets on their own, even when not containing a parchment manuscript.
Height: 6 cm, width: 3 cm, depth: 0.8 cm. Good condition. Lid soldered. Lacking several pieces of filigree.