Rare 19th C Antique Silver Filigree Judaica Besamim Spice Tower Austro Hungarian

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An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Austro-Hungarian silver spice tower; This beautiful box is fitted with a hinged door and … Read more An exceptional, fine and impressive antique Austro-Hungarian silver spice tower; This beautiful box is fitted with a hinged door and is fully hallmarked The square shaped foot is ornamented with filigree decoration and supported by four plain semi-spherical feet. Judaica silver spice tower, Viennese or Austro Hungarian, 5.5 troy, height is 9.75" These were used in the Havdalah ceremony marking the close of Shabbat the Jewish Sabbath. Hallmarked with a silver purity mark and a makers hallmark. My estimation is Vienna but it might be from Poland or Czechoslovakia. Beginning in the 16th century a common form is that of a tower, influenced by developments in architecture. Jewish ceremonial art, also known as Judaica refers to an array of objects used by Jews for ritual purposes. Both for synagogue and for home, because enhancing a mitzvah by performing it with an especially beautiful object is considered a praiseworthy way of honoring God's commandments, Judaism has a long tradition of commissioning ritual objects from craftsmen and artists. Judaism has a set of classical early rabbinic commentaries on the Hebrew Bible; these commentary collections are known as the midrash literature (Heb: midrashim). Midrash Mechilta has this teaching on a biblical verse: "This is my God and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2) Is it possible for a human being to add glory to his Creator? What this really means is: I shall glorify God in the way that I perform commandments. I shall prepare a beautiful lulav, beautiful sukkah, beautiful fringes (tzitzit), and beautiful tefilin." Other Midrash teachings (e.g. Song of Songs Rabbah 1.15) offer the same idea. This idea is expanded upon in the Babylonian Talmud (e.g. Tractate Bava Kama 9b). This teaching was understood by succeeding generations as a duty, when possible, to make beautiful items used in Jewish life and worship, both physical and textual Kiddush cup: Kiddush, literally, "sanctification," is a blessing recited over wine or grape juice to sanctify the Shabbat and Jewish holidays. Kiddush cups are highly decorated, and are generally made of china, porcelain, silver, pewter and nickel. The close of the Jewish Shabbat is marked by the brief prayer ceremony of Havdalah, which usually takes place in the home. Part of the ceremony requires sniffing a sweet-smelling spice or plant. In Jewish communities around the Mediterranean, a sprig of a sweet-smelling shrub was customarily used, in Northern Europe by the twelfth century there are literary references of the use of a specially designed spice box or or spice tower container. The oldest surviving spice boxes for Havdalah date to the mid-sixteenth century. The Jewish Museum (New York) has a German example c. 1550 thought to originate in Frankfurt am Main. The menorah (or hanukkiah) used on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is perhaps the most widely produced article of Judaic ceremonial art. The Lindo lamp is a particularly fine example by an 18th-century silversmith. Contemporary Israel artists often design menorahs, such as the gold-plated brass menorah with 35 moveable branches designed by Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. A silver Chanukah menorah by Ze'ev Raban from the 1930s is in the Judaica Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art. To protect the ethrog during the Sukkot holiday, it is traditionally wrapped in silky flax fibers and stored in a special box, often made from silver. In modern times, the etrog is also commonly wrapped in synthetic netting, and placed in cardboard boxes. Wooden boxes are increasingly popular as well. The tradition of artistically embellished haggadah, the Jewish Hebrew text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder, dates back to the Middle Ages. The Sarajevo Haggadah of 1350 is a celebrated example. Major contemporary artists have produced notable haggadahs, such as the Arthur Szyk Hagadah. See also the facsimile edition of the even earlier Barcelona Haggadah of 1340. Museums with notable collections of Jewish ceremonial art include the British Library, the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, as well as the Tel Aviv museum of art, the Jewish Museum (London), the Musée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme in Paris, the Jewish Museum in Prague, the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum (New York), the Musée Lorraine in Nancy, the Musée alsacien in Strasbourg and the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco. The Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery City Park, New York City also holds a sizable collection. Another way to see good antique, rare, Judaica is through the art marketplace, There are many examples of Russian, German Polish, Austro Hungarian and Sephardic works available as well as contemporary Israeli and American. The leading auction houses. Sotheby's, Bonhams-New York, J. Greenstein, Skinner's and Kestenbaum's routinely hold regular auctions each year. See less