Obj. ID: 184
  Sacred and Ritual  Torah finials, Austria-Hungary, 1842

The Torah finial consists of a shaft, a body and an apex

The shaft rises from a round raised base. The base consists of two round strips forming a dome-like shape. A floral design appears on one Finial. The other Finial bears an inscription in square linear letters written in two lines from right to left  which reads:

line 1:  “The dedicator Yitzhack Shlomo Matsa `may the lord sustain him and grant him favor` in the holy community of the Jews of Yanina,  God will look upon them, the glory of the generation.”

line 2: ”The holy cityJerusalem`may it be built and established speedily in our time, amen` ,first day of the new month of piety sweet year of good hope and everlasting peace, [the year (5)602 =1842].

The undulating shaft is decorated with two wide strips, the bottom one is decorated with vertical grooves and the upper one with acanthus leaves radiating from the center.  

thick rings encircle the shaft at top and middle. The rings are decorated with a pattern of ovals and balls topped by waves .           

The compressed globular body is mounted over the shaft and is divided into two parts.

The bottom part bears a decoration of acanthus leaves radiating from the base. The top part is decorated with two roses framed with leaves within petals.

In between the medallions are floral triangles. The two parts are connected by a thick circumphere ring. The ring is decorated with  a pattern of two roses in between vertical lines. Three scrolled hooks with dome-shaped bells hang from the ring.

A crown shaped apex, mounted over a wide ring, surmounts the body.