Exceptionally large, decorated jewelry box. Damascus, Syria, 5665 [1905].

Cast brass, inlaid with copper and silver (Damascening); silver inlaid with gold; chased; rivets; cedar wood.

Exceptionally large, weighty ornate jewelry box, inscribed with greetings in Hebrew and Arabic. A high-quality example, inscribed with a date, of specifically Jewish Damascene craftsmanship involving metal inlay. May have been presented as an engagement or wedding gift.

Massively heavy rectangular box made of cedar wood dressed with thick sheets of brass, inlaid with silver and copper; with a heavy lid, connected by rotating hinges; supported on four tall, fancy, angular legs, positioned at the four corners of the base.

Richly decorated using a variety of techniques and patterns; the brass sections not inlaid with silver or copper are densely adorned with chased vegetal patterns. At the center of the front surface is an inlaid oval-shaped silver medallion with an Arabic inscription, flanked by round silver medallions with arabesques, all encircled by additional silver ornaments with vegetal patterns. Inlaid at the center of the surface of either side are round silver medallions with Arabic inscriptions. The rear surface, like the front, has an inlaid oval-shaped silver medallion with an Arabic inscription, but is flanked by a pair of large arabesques, and no round medallions. Inlaid at the opposite ends of the surface of the lid are a pair of round silver medallions bearing Arabic inscriptions, each surrounded by four silver corner ornaments, each with a segment of the following Hebrew inscriptions: "Ben Porat / Yosef / [Hebrew] Year / 5665 [1905]" and "Ben Porat / … / ‘Esek Yisrael BeDamesek’ [Jewish Business in Damascus (?)]". The Arabic inscriptions include brief aphorisms and words of wisdom and faith, such as "All is from God", "The Lord will protect", "One who is satisfied with his lot is as [one who] owns a treasure", "Nothing is forever", etc. All inscriptions – as well as some of the ornaments – are inlaid with gold.

Height: 16 cm. Length: 10.5 cm. Width: 22.5 cm. Overall good condition

Provenance: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 103.002.001.

This jewelry box is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 37600.