Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art | Page 3

Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art

Sep 1, 2026

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Lot 25 Esther Scroll in Decorated Silver Case – Vienna, Mid-19th Century

Miniature Esther scroll in decorated case. Vienna, [ca. 1840s-1850s].

Ink on parchment; Silver, cast, repoussé an

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Esther Scroll in Decorated Silver Case – Vienna, Mid-19th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $1,500

Sold for: $1,875

Including buyer's premium

Miniature Esther scroll in decorated case. Vienna, [ca. 1840s-1850s].

Ink on parchment; Silver, cast, repoussé and engraved (with partial Viennese hallmark [date unclear], and maker's mark: "TR" in a rectangular frame, probably for Thomas Regscheck).

Esther scroll in miniature format. HaMelech scroll (most columns begin with the word HaMelech). Written on 3 attached parchment membranes, 18 text columns, 20-21 lines per column. The first letter of HaMelech at beginning of columns decorated with minute illustrations, generally vegetal patterns.

The scroll is housed in a small silver case, decorated with rich vegetal patterns in high relief, with a blank cartouche at the center. The top and bottom affixed to the case are decorated with matching patterns, with a short, smooth silver handle.

The smith Thomas Regscheck is known to have produced a number of Judaica objects in mid-19th-century Vienna, including Hanukkah lamps and various Torah decorations. A pair of finials he produced in 1854, held in the Jewish Museum of Prague (JMP 004.811), feature similar decorations to those on the present case.

Height of parchment: 6.5 cm. Height of case (including handle): 14 cm. Overall good condition. Stains, creases and wear to beginning of first membrane, affecting text. Fading of ink, with some lines supplied in a later hand. Case in very good condition. Joints of case slightly loose.

Category

Esther Scrolls

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Lot 26 Esther Scroll in Decorated Silver Filigree Case, Early 20th Century

Miniature Esther scroll in decorated case. [Eastern Europe or Eretz Israel, early 20th century].

Ink on parchment; silve

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Esther Scroll in Decorated Silver Filigree Case, Early 20th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $800

Sold for: $1,500

Including buyer's premium

Miniature Esther scroll in decorated case. [Eastern Europe or Eretz Israel, early 20th century].

Ink on parchment; silver, filigree (unmarked).

Esther scroll in minute writing on 4 parchment membranes sewn together, 20 text columns, 21 lines per column, with serifs (Tagim).

Housed in a cylindrical case decorated with silver thread (filigree), with short, smooth handle.

Height of parchment: 7 cm. Height of case (including handle): 10.5 cm. Scroll in good condition. Case in fair condition. Minor fractures and minute soldering repairs. Minute pieces missing from filigree. Top decoration of case lacking. Silver disk at base of case slightly bent.

Category

Esther Scrolls

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Lot 27 Silver Case for Esther Scroll – Probably Italy, 19th Century

Silver case for Esther scroll (without scroll). [Probably Italy, 19th century].

Silver, cast, sawed and engraved (unmark

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Silver Case for Esther Scroll – Probably Italy, 19th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $1,000

Sold for: $1,375

Including buyer's premium

Silver case for Esther scroll (without scroll). [Probably Italy, 19th century].

Silver, cast, sawed and engraved (unmarked).

Cylindrical silver case, decorated with repeating vegetal patterns. Top flower-like ornament. Original silver pull bar, with holes for sewing of scroll and small handle matching top ornament. Short, thick silver handle.

Height of case: 19 cm. Diameter: 3.5 cm. Weight: 140 g. Good condition. Light warping of top ornament.

Provenance: Sotheby's Jerusalem, May 5, 1988, Lot 5.

Category

Esther Scrolls

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Lot 28 Elaborate Silver-Coated Torah Case – Aleppo Community in Calcutta, India, 1903 – Dweck Cohen Family

Torah case from the Aleppo community in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Possibly produced in India, 1903.

Silver sheet, repou

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Elaborate Silver-Coated Torah Case – Aleppo Community in Calcutta, India, 1903 – Dweck Cohen Family

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $8,000

Sold for: $15,000

Including buyer's premium

Torah case from the Aleppo community in Calcutta (Kolkata), India. Possibly produced in India, 1903.

Silver sheet, repoussé, pierced and engraved; cast silver (unmarked); wood; copper sheet. Without Torah scroll.

A rare and elegant exemplar of Torah scrolls from the Aleppo community in Calcutta, preserving the form of Torah cases from Iraq and the Near East, yet decorated with techniques and patterns characteristic of the Far East (India, Burma and China).

The case is coated with a large repoussé silver sheet, fashioned with rich vegetal patterns. The decorations include twisting branches, flowers and large leaves in various symmetrical patterns. The top edge of the case features a crown in a repeating vegetal pattern. The top of the case features a large, pointed dome, decorated in matching vegetal pattern, topped by a bud-like ornament also decorated in vegetal patterns. The case includes a long, narrow Torah pointer, half rectangular and half rounded, with a suspension ring. The pointer is suspended from two designated rings near the opening of the case.

The interior of the case features two silver plates with inscriptions. On the right-hand plate are relevant Torah verses, while the second one bears a dedicatory inscription: "This case and the Torah in it are in memory of the soul of Yosef Netanel Chai Yosef Dweck Cohen, passed away Friday, 29th Kislev 1903".

Members of the Syrian community arrived in Calcutta in the late 18th century: in 1798, Shalom son of Ovadiah Cohen of Baghdad, originally from Aleppo, settled in Calcutta; he was later joined by his fellow townsman Shimon Dweck Cohen and his son-in-law Moshe Dweck Cohen, who contributed to securing a permanent community in the city.

Yosef Netanel Chai Yosef Dweck Cohen probably belonged to the third generation of the Dweck Cohen family in Calcutta. The wedding ketubah (Calcutta, 1866) of Netanel Chai (son of Yosef Tzemach) Dweck Cohen – probably Yosef Netanel's father, to whom the present case is dedicated – is held in the New York Public Library.

The Dweck Cohen family, descendants of a famous rabbinic family from Aleppo, were the first Jewish settlers in the city, and the foundation of the Iraqi-Syrian community that was later to develop a Baghdadi character. The family headed the Magen David community in Calcutta for decades, and one member of the family edited the Perach periodical of the Baghdadi community of Calcutta and even established a Hebrew press in the city.

Height: 85 cm. Diameter of base: 26 cm. Overall good condition. Does not contain finials or Torah scroll. Minor warping and defects to silver sheets, mainly to edges. Some screws lacking. Ornaments (medallions) and coins lacking around top ornament. Some old soldering repairs. Slight corrosion. One hinge may be lacking from back of case. Length of Torah pointer: 34 cm.

Literature: Bracha Yaniv, Maaseh Choshev – The Torah Case: Its History and Design, Bar Ilan University and Ben-Zvi Institute, 1997, pp. 96-99 (Hebrew).

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 29 Early Silver-Coated Torah Case – Baghdad or Calcutta, 1857 – Philanthropist Eliyah Gubbay

Torah case. [Baghdad, Iraq or Calcutta (Kolkata), India], 1857.

Silver sheet, repoussé, pierced, cut and engraved

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Early Silver-Coated Torah Case – Baghdad or Calcutta, 1857 – Philanthropist Eliyah Gubbay

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $10,000

Sold for: $12,500

Including buyer's premium

Torah case. [Baghdad, Iraq or Calcutta (Kolkata), India], 1857.

Silver sheet, repoussé, pierced, cut and engraved; cast silver (unmarked); wood; copper sheet; ink and paint on paper; glass; without Torah scroll.

An elaborate early Torah case – one of the earliest Baghdadi cases known today – dedicated by the philanthropist Eliyah Gubbay, a wealthy Baghdadi merchant active in Calcutta. Judging by the design, the case appears to have been produced in Baghdad, but based on the identity of the dedicator (see below), it may have served in a synagogue of the Baghdadi community in Calcutta, India, or it may have been donated to a synagogue in his native Baghdad.

The case is coated with large repoussé silver sheets, fashioned in rich, repeating vegetal patterns, of the typical structure of Torah scrolls from Iraq. The decorative patterns contain oval medallions featuring a central flower in a vase – surrounded by dense vegetal decorations – and three horizontal strips decorated with a crescent and an eight-pointed star (the Ottoman Empire's emblem from 1844). The top of the case features a dome with a pear-shaped ornament, with bell chains hanging from it. Around the dome is an ornament in a repeating vegetal pattern. A long, narrow Torah pointer comes along with the case, half rectangular and decorated with geometrical patterns, the other half rounded and smooth, with a ring and suspension chain.

A dedicatory inscription is featured on the top part of the exterior of the case, repoussé in high relief with a nailed silver strip: "This case and the Torah scroll in it were made by R. Eliyahu Shalom [son of] R. Aharon [son of] R. Salih Gubbay, may G-d preserve him, Amen, [1857]". The interior of the case features other inscriptions, handwritten on decorated paper coated with glass. The right inscription features relevant verses from the Torah, and the left sheet features an inscription matching the exterior one: "This case and the Torah scroll in it were made by the reputable R. Eliyah Shalom [son of] R. Aharon Gubbay, may G-d preserve him, Amen, [1857]". The inscriptions appear within pointed multifoil horseshoes, and are surrounded by decorations in meticulous, colorful vegetal patterns, characteristic of the art of Islamic lands.

Eliyah son of Shalom son of Aharon Gubbay (Gabbai; 1829-1898) was the son of Shalom son of R. Aharon Salih Gubbay – a distinguished member of the Jewish community of Baghdad in the first half of the 19th century. Born In Baghdad, he immigrated with his father to Calcutta in 1840, and worked in the factory of Yechezkel Yehudah, eventually marrying his daughter Farha. In 1850, after several years of business in China, he opened a successful cotton and opium business in Calcutta, Eliyah Shalom Gubbay and Partners, which also served as a business agent of the Sassoon family.

Eliyah Gubbay owned many properties in Calcutta, and was noted for his wealth, which amounted to millions of francs. He donated substantial sums to the Jews of Baghdad, tzedakah and charitable institutions in Eretz Israel and educational, cultural and charitable institutions and synagogues in Calcutta, eventually becoming a distinguished member of the Calcutta municipality. His only son was the philanthropist Morris (Menashe) Gubbay, who married Luna Sassoon, daughter of Reuben David Sassoon. For further information on Eliyah Gubbay and his family, see enclosed material.

Height: 106 cm. Diameter of base: 29 cm. Overall good condition. Without finials or Torah scroll. Light warping and defects to silver sheets, mainly to edges, with some pieces lacking. Some tabs lacking from top ornament near opening of case. Some screws lacking. Warping and chains lacking from top ornament. Soldering around finial rods. Stains, moisture damage and tears to leaves with dedicatory inscriptions at interior of case, affecting text and decorations. Fracture to one glass sheet. Length of Torah pointer: 38 cm.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 30 Torah Scroll Case – Iraq, 1907

Torah scroll case. Iraq, dedication dated 5667 [1907].

Wood; white metal or low-grade silver, repoussé and engrav

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $1,000

Sold for: $4,000

Including buyer's premium

Torah scroll case. Iraq, dedication dated 5667 [1907].

Wood; white metal or low-grade silver, repoussé and engraved; brass sheet, repoussé; ink and paint on paper; printed cotton fabric. Without Torah scroll.

Case shaped and decorated in characteristic style of Iraqi Torah scroll cases. Coated in metal sheets shaped into rich vegetal patterns, topped by a pear-shaped dome with suspended chains with bells. A crown with a recurring vegetal pattern encircles the dome.

Two strips of text appear in repoussé at the top and bottom of the case, with a dedicatory inscription: "This case / and the Torah scroll inside it are dedicated to the memory of the woman Salha / wife of Ezra Menachem… in the year 5667 [1907] // provided that the owners are permitted to remove it / and deposit it in any other place, as they please".

An additional ornamented dedicatory inscription (accompanied by blessings) appears on the interior of the case, over pieces of paper: "This case / and the Torah scroll inside it are dedicated to the memory of the dear elder / Salha wife of / Ezra Menachem… year 5667 [1907]".

Height: 83.5 cm. Diameter: 26 cm. Outer part in good condition, with some corrosion. Parts of metal sheet discolored. Warping and fractures to edges of silver sheets, discernible mainly at bottom and on interior. Blemishes and wear to interior, affecting paper decorations and wood.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 31 Large, Elaborate Torah Crown Set with Glass Beads and Niello Decorations – Eastern Europe, 18th Century

Torah crown. Eastern Europe (Galicia), [18th century].

Silver, repoussé, cut and pierced (unmarked); gilt; color

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Large, Elaborate Torah Crown Set with Glass Beads and Niello Decorations – Eastern Europe, 18th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $30,000

Sold for: $60,000

Including buyer's premium

Torah crown. Eastern Europe (Galicia), [18th century].

Silver, repoussé, cut and pierced (unmarked); gilt; color glass beads; niello.

Large, elaborate Torah crown, made of high-quality metalwork, in typical Eastern European style (Galicia – Ukraine and Poland), set with 37 colorful glass beads and 24 plaques with niello decorations. Tall, round base, with tall ornament and six long, curved braces topped by a smaller crown with ten braces.

The crown is decorated with several different techniques: The center of the base is fashioned with large repoussé vegetal patterns incorporating three pairs of griffons supporting large gilt cartouches stylized as a sort of lattice. The crown is likewise fashioned with a repeating repoussé vegetal pattern. Gilt ornaments in rich, interlocking vegetal patterns, incorporating stylized plaques with niello decorations in vegetal patterns, are affixed near the bottom edge, near the upper edge and on the long braces. The bottom of the crown is set with 27 colorful glass beads, in several different sizes, and 10 more smaller beads are set in the top crown. The top crown decorations match the decorations of the bottom parts, but the base also incorporates minute putti (cherubs). The various decorations are affixed with bent pins and silver nails.

Height: 41 cm. Diameter: 20 cm. Weight: 2260 g. Overall good condition. Warping and minor fractures, with some pieces missing. Some old soldering repairs and old repairs with silver plaques (to interior). Defects to some glass beads. Piercings in some places, apparently evidencing additional lost decorations. Ornament lacking (bird or knob) from top crown. Slight corrosion.

For a Torah crown with a similar structure from the Galicia region, see: Thora und Krone, Kultgeräte der jüdischen Diaspora in der Ukraine (Wien 1933), Kat. no. 7; for other crowns with niello decorations, see: Kantsedikas, Masterpieces of Jewish Art (3), Silver (Moscow, c. 1992), nos. 25-27.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 32 Torah Crown with Lion and Bird Decorations – Galicia, 18th/19th Century

Torah crown. [Galicia (Poland or Ukraine), 18th/19th century].

Silver, cast, pierced, repoussé and engraved (with

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Torah Crown with Lion and Bird Decorations – Galicia, 18th/19th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $15,000

Sold for: $25,000

Including buyer's premium

Torah crown. [Galicia (Poland or Ukraine), 18th/19th century].

Silver, cast, pierced, repoussé and engraved (with standard mark "12" and partial maker's mark "Haron Tapenb---?"); partial gilding.

Crown in the typical design of Torah crowns from the Galicia region (present-day Poland and Ukraine). Stands on a round base, tall and gilt, with decorations in repeating vegetal patterns nailed on. Six gilt arched braces are supported by six erect lions screwed onto the base with nuts shaped as flowers, topped by another ornament in the form of a smaller crown. Between the top braces are large, slanted leaf-like ornaments with bells hanging from their edges, and with bird ornaments nailed on between the lion ornaments. On the top crown is a flower-like ornament, with a gilt knob in the center topped by a small bird. Inscribed on the top crown: "Crown of Torah, crown of priesthood, crown of kingship, 1787, Hene Rachel Kohen".

This crown belongs to a group of similar crowns – with minor variations between them – held in several museum collections, generally bearing inscriptions dated to the first three decades of the 19th century. The present crown bears an earlier inscription – dating to 1787 – hence it postdates only the crown in the Stieglitz collection of the Israel Museum, dated 1726 (B86.0185, Stieglitz catalogue no. 7). Nevertheless, it remains possible that the present crown, like most others of the type, was produced in the early 19th century, and that the inscription relates to an event that had taken place earlier.

For comparison and further information, see: Israel Museum collection, item B50.02.1203; Crowning Glory, no. 469-470; Danzig 1939: Treasures of a destroyed community, no. 77; Jewish Museum of Paris, no. 2002.01.0754; Sotheby's, New York, December 14, 2011, Lot 46; December 20, 2017, Lot 70; December 19, 2018, Lot 18.

Height: 30.5 cm. Diameter of base: 12 cm. Maximal width: 16 cm. Weight: 1260 g. Overall good condition. Several fractures and old soldering repairs. Minor warping. One lion ornament partially detached. Some bells non-original. Bell lacking from interior of top crown.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 33 Torah Crown – Central Europe, 19th/20th Century

Torah crown. [Central Europe, perhaps Germany, 19th or 20th century].

Silver, cast, embossed, pierced and engraved (fals

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Torah Crown – Central Europe, 19th/20th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $5,000

Sold for: $10,000

Including buyer's premium

Torah crown. [Central Europe, perhaps Germany, 19th or 20th century].

Silver, cast, embossed, pierced and engraved (falsely marked with Augsburg hallmark "F", allegedly in use 1743-1745, and partial maker's mark, "-CM", perhaps "FCM", see Seling p. 354; two bells variously marked); partial gilding; colorful glass beads.

Three-tiered crown, decorated with vegetal patterns in openwork, incorporating cast decorations of animals of different kinds: the center of the bottom tier features erect lions holding flags; the base of the central tier features deer heads, and the top features alternating ram heads and birds; the center of the third tier features additional birds, topped by an erect lion holding a shield bearing the Biblical inscription: "At its left is wealth and honor". Six colorful glass beads are set in the base of the crown (of an original seven).

The origin and date of the crown are uncertain. Its lion ornaments are reminiscent of the Torah finial decorations from early 19th-century Augsburg, but the false marks point to a date in the mid-18th century. The crown was apparently produced in the late 19th or early 20th century as a variation on German Torah ornaments from the 19th century.

Height: 31 cm. Diameter of base: 14 cm. Maximal width: 16 cm. Weight: 990 g. Overall good condition. Light warping. One bead lacking. Bell lacking from interior of top crown.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 34 Pair of Silver Torah Finials – Fez, Morocco, 20th Century

Pair of Torah finials. Fez, Morocco, after 1925.

Silver, repoussé, pierced and engraved (with Fez standard mark,

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Pair of Silver Torah Finials – Fez, Morocco, 20th Century

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $1,000

Sold for: $1,250

Including buyer's premium

Pair of Torah finials. Fez, Morocco, after 1925.

Silver, repoussé, pierced and engraved (with Fez standard mark, in use from October 1925); chiselwork; wood; ink on parchment; glass.

Elegant pair of finials, decorated with rich vegetal patterns. Each finial is engraved with eight glass-coated windows shaped as pointed horseshoes, displaying a parchment sheet with an ink dedication: "Torah finials in memory of a nice, fine and pleasant young man, R. Masud Ezra ---", followed by the text of the Priestly Blessing (Bamidbar 6:22-27) beginning on one finial and concluding on the other. Stood on cylindrical legs with matching decorations, with wide bases. Eight chains extend from each finial, with bells at their edges.

Height: 31 cm. Maximal width: 6 cm. Overall good condition. Some loose screwing and warping. Fractures to some glass windows. Top ornament shaped as curved braces lacking from one finial. Fading of ink of dedicatory inscription.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 35 Pair of Modernist Torah Finials – Germany, First Decades of 20th Century

Pair of Torah finials. Germany, first decades of 20th century.

Silver, sawed and turned (German standard mark, 925, crow

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Pair of Modernist Torah Finials – Germany, First Decades of 20th Century

3 PHOTOS

Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $500

Sold for: $4,750

Including buyer's premium

Pair of Torah finials. Germany, first decades of 20th century.

Silver, sawed and turned (German standard mark, 925, crown and moon, and unidentified maker's mark, ligature of "FE" or "AE").

Tall, wide pair of Torah finials, designed in modernist style, with Art Deco motifs. Graduated, wide and hollow, decorated with rectangles of various sizes and eight long rectangular plates stylized as pillars, with matching decorations. Each finial contains bells suspended from four hooked hangers, with a Star of David ornament at the top of each.

Height: 33 cm. Maximal width: 10.5 cm. Weight: 1380 g. Overall good condition. Warping.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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Lot 36 Torah Pointer – Italy, 19th Century – Saba (Saban) Family

Torah pointer. Italy, [perhaps Ancona], 1829, 1834 or 1854.

Silver, cast and engraved (unmarked); gilt.

Long, narrow

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Torah Pointer – Italy, 19th Century – Saba (Saban) Family

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Auction 109 Books | Letters and Manuscripts | Megillot and Jewish Ceremonial Art Sep 1, 2026

Opening: $1,000

Sold for: $2,250

Including buyer's premium

Torah pointer. Italy, [perhaps Ancona], 1829, 1834 or 1854.

Silver, cast and engraved (unmarked); gilt.

Long, narrow Torah pointer, made of cast silver, comprising several joints decorated in different patterns. The bottom joint is comprised of multiple sides, and engraved with a lengthy dedication of the Saba (Saban) family, probably of Ancona: "Donation of the honorable and lofty R. Avraham son of the deceased Eliyahu Saba, leader of the Italian synagogue, which he wholeheartedly donated to the same synagogue in honor of G-d and His Torah when the blessed son bearing the name Shimshon Shabtai was born to him, may G-d protect him and guard him for lengthy days and years, and may his gift be pleasing to G-d, and this was in the year…" (the chronogram for the year may be read either as 1829, 1834 or 1854). At the edge of the pointer is a clenched fist, gilt, with a withdrawn index finger and a cuff at the base.

Length: 29.5 cm. Weight: 80 g. Good condition.

Category

Torah Ornaments – Cases, Crowns, Finials, Torah Pointers

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