Kiddush cup for Sabbath and Holidays. Augsburg, Germany, 1743-1745; dedicatory inscription dated 5505 [1745].
Silver, cast and engraved (base marked with city mark, and maker’s mark – Johann Mittnacht III – with the letter "I" above the letter "M" enclosed within an elliptical frame); gilt.
Early, high-quality German Kiddush cup. Octagonal goblet, supported on a fancy leg with a broad, terraced base. The upper segment of the base has a dome-like, undulating surface. Like the body, the leg and most of the base are octagonal. The base and aspects of the body are adorned with vegetal patterns and matching guilloches. Three Hebrew inscriptions are very delicately engraved onto the surfaces of the eight aspects of the body, and arranged in three rows: "On the eighth day you shall have an ‘atzeret’; you shall do / no manner of servile work" (Numbers 29:35; the reference to Shemini Atzeret is uncommon in such kiddush cups);); "And Moses declared unto / the Children of Israel the appointed seasons of the Lord" (Leviticus 23:44); and "Year 5505…" [1745]. On the bulging upper part of the leg, an additional Hebrew inscription appears, mostly likely indicating the name of the cup’s owner, "G. Scheu" or "G. Schew".
The silversmith Johann Mittnacht III (1706-1758, licensed as an artisan from 1735 onward) was a member of a family of silversmiths active in Augsburg in the 18th century. Goblets he produced can be found in both private and museum collections; all are noteworthy for their exceptional craftsmanship, and all are gilt or partly gilt (like the cup presented here), and display decorative patterns markedly similar to the present cup.

Height: 15 cm. Diameter at rim: 7 cm. Diameter at base: 7 cm. Good condition.

Provenance:
1. Acquired in the United States from a Jewish family that immigrated from Germany in the early 20th century.
2. The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, 017.001.097.
This cup is documented on the Center for Jewish Art (CJA) website, item no. 35809.