Rare 18thC Antique Brass Havdalah Compendium Spice Box Tower Adjustable Candle

Details

Description

Presented for your consideration is an museum-quality 18th-century European Brass Havdalah Compendium. This rare ritual object is a masterpiece of … Read more Presented for your consideration is an museum-quality 18th-century European Brass Havdalah Compendium. This rare ritual object is a masterpiece of early Judaica engineering, designed to consolidate the requirements for the Havdalah ceremony into a single, elegant "tower" form.

The piece features a shield-shaped, tripod base supporting a central column. Above this sits a rectangular spice drawer that is fully removable, used for the besamim (spices). Rising from the spice chamber are two barley-twist uprights which house an adjustable candle slide. This slide would have held the multi-wick Havdalah candle, allowing the user to raise the candle as it burned down.

The tower is crowned with a crossbar and two original hand-cut brass flags. The brass exhibits a deep, authentic honey-gold patina with evidence of hand-tooling throughout.

Origin: Central Europe (Likely Germany or Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Age: Circa 1750–1790

Material: Heavy Sand-Cast Brass

Dimensions: 8.25" Height | Base: approx. 3" x 2"

Weight: 152 grams

Reference

For a similar typology of the combined Havdalah tower with adjustable candle slides and spice compartments, please refer to:

Book Title: The Gilded Edge: The Art of the Ashkenazi Brass Hanukkah Lamp and Ritual Objects Author: Mordechai Narkiss / See also Judaica by Jay Weinstein (1985). Page Number: Page 142, Plate 168 (referencing the evolution of the German brass "Compendium" form). See less