Kiddush cup. Italy, presumably Ancona; dedicatory inscription dated 1803.

Silver, stamped and engraved (unmarked); parcel gilt.

Kiddush cup in form of a trimmed cone, supported by a tall, fancy shaft with a vegetal pattern on top of a round, elevated base. Engraved dedicatory inscription (Hebrew) along rim of base: "Made under the sponsorship of the dear and wonderful Moshe Yitzhak Pesaro and Yisrael Cohen-Belinfante … in the year 5563 [1803]." Gilt surface.

The Pesaros are a Jewish family originating from the Le Marche region of Italy; descendants resided in Ferrara, Ancona, and Venice, among other places. The Cohen-Bellinfantes are a Sephardi Jewish family of Portuguese origin. Among the patriarchs of the Cohen-Bellinfante family was Yosef Cohen-Bellinfante, who left Portugal in 1526 and settled in the Balkans; descendants are known to have lived in the Netherlands, among other countries, and some of them gained fame as poets, authors, educators, and rabbis.

Height: 16.5 cm. Diameter at base: 7 cm. Good condition. All parts of cup soldered together.