Obj. ID: 36444
Sacred and Ritual Objects Snuffbox, Eretz Israel, circa 1910
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
Such snuff boxes were used at Sabbath and festival synagogue prayers. During long hours of prayer, snuff boxes were passed around to the participants as a stimulant to maintain alertness and concentration. This box was made in England, as evidenced by the silver marks, and decorated in the Holy Land with scenes of Holy Places. The inscription on the spine is unusual as the manner of the illustrations. They are not in the rather formalistic mode of the majority of such snuff boxes. The illustration of the Tomb of the Prophet Shmuel is not normally seen on these objects. The box itself is made in the shape of a book with a rounded spine.
Inscription: Top: Kotel Ha-Ma'aravi (The Western Wall)
Bottom: Kever Shmuel Ha-Navi (Tomb of Shmuel the Prophet)
Spine: Lehariach Lichvod Shabbat Kodesh (To Inhale in Honor of the Holy Sabbath)