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Obj. ID: 3674
Sacred and Ritual Objects  Torah finials

© Center for Jewish Art, Photographer: Radovan, Zev, 1997

The tower-shaped Torah finial comprises a shaft, a body and an apex.

The cylindrical shaft is mounted over a raised base decorated with a twisted whorl of slices.

The tower-shaped body is mounted over a compressed globe and comprises two tiers topped by a conical dome. The compressed globe is adorned by alternating blank and floral vertical bands, and is mounted over a conical base decorated with twisted slices radiating from the bottom.

The hexagonal body tapers upwards. Each facet is formed by intertwined scrolled branches, and is divided into two tiers by a central horizontal band. Two horse-shoe arches are set on each facet, one on each tier.

Hamsa pendants are suspended from the lower arches, while the upper arches enclose stylised lotus flowers. Scrolled loops carrying chains with bells are attached to the connections between the facets of the lower tier.

The conical dome decorated with twisted slices is mounted over the body, and is encircled by a crenellation of arches made of central palmettes flanked by a pair of branches.

An apex shaped as a turret, set on a floral circlet, is mounting over the dome. 

679996.DOC

Summary and Remarks
  1. For discussion and comparisons, see: Sc.96-22, pp. XX.
  2. The two pairs of finials (Sc.96-22 and Sc.96-23) were made by the same silversmith.                
Remarks

8 image(s)    Items per page

sub-set tree:  

Object Detail
Monument Setting
Unknown
Date
1942
Active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Unknown
Origin
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
North African | Tunisian
| Tunisia, Djerba, Hara Kbira
Congregation
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Period Detail
Collection
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Iconographical Subject
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
Material / Technique
Silver, gilded
Material Stucture
hammered, spun, cast (apex)
Material Decoration
chased, sawed (facets), cast (implements)
Material Bonding
folded, soldered, screwed
Material Inscription
none
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height
420 mm (general), 135 mm (shaft)
Length
Width
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
80 mm (body), 22 mm (shaft)
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Condition
Intact
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
Coin Series
Coin Ruler
Coin Year
Denomination
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Hallmark
One hallmark is stamped on each and every single part:
1. Authority
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program

The tower-shaped Torah finial is decorated with hamsa and lotuses, attached to an architectural setting. 

Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
Main Surveys & Excavations
Sources
• Amar, Ariella. "Synagogues and Ritual Artifacts." In Tunisia, Jewish Communities in the East in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries. Ed. Haim, Saadoun, 251-268. Jerusalem: Ministry of Education and the Ben-Zvi Institute of Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2005. In Hebrew. • Eudel, Paul. L'orfèvrerie Algérienne et Tunisienne. Alger: Imprimeur Libraire Éditeur, 1902. In French. • Eudel, Paul. Dictionnaire des Bijoux de l'Afrique du Nord. Ernest Leroux, Éditeur, 1906. In French. • Grafman, Rafi, ed. 50 Rimonim: A Selection of Torah Finials from a European Family Collection. Tel Aviv: Tel Aviv University, The Judaica Museum, The Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center, 1998. In English and Hebrew.
Type
Documenter
Ariella Amar | 07.97
Author of description
Efrat Assaf-Shapira | 08.01
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconstruction
|
Section Head
Ariella Amar | 09.01; 06.11
Language Editor
Dvora Sax | 10.11
Donor
|
Negative/Photo. No.
The following information on this monument will be completed:
Unknown |