Obj. ID: 37160
Sacred and Ritual Torah finials, Tetuan, 1851
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
The finials evolved from knobs at the upper end of the staves (Atzei Chaim) on which the Torah scroll is wound. Since the shape of the spherical finial recalled that of a fruit, it was called a tappu'aḥ, "apple," among the Jews of Spain and in the Sephardi Diaspora, and a rimmon, "pomegranate," in all other communities.
The earliest known reference to Torah finials occurs in a document from 1159, found in the Cairo Genizah, from which we learn that by the 12th century finials were already being made of silver and had bells. Around the same time, Maimonides mentions finials in the Mishneh Torah (Hilkhot Sefer Torah 10:4). Despite the variations on the spherical shape which developed over the centuries and the addition of small bells around the main body of the finial, the spherical, fruit-like form was the basic model for the design of finials in Oriental and European communities.
A most significant variation appeared in 15th-century Spain, Italy, and Germany, where the shape of finials was influenced by that of various objects of church ritual, whose design often incorporated architectural motifs, The resulting tower-like structure, which seems to have appeared around the same time in different parts of Europe, became the main type of finial in 18th-century Germany and Italy, as well as Morocco, brought there by Jews expelled from Spain.
One of the earliest dated pair of Rimmonim from Morocco extant. The date of the death of the person for whom they are dedicated in 1851, Such memorial Rimmonim were usually dedicated near to the year of passing. The contrasting silver and gold elements, the gilded bells, the delicate pierced work, and the imposing height and shape make for a magnificent pair of Rimmonim. The style of the elements would suggest the origin as Tetuan.
Inscription: These Rimmonim were dedicated by the honorable and modest Mrs. Simchah Abitbul for the eternal rest of her husband the Rav Yosef Abitbul, may he rest in Eden, who passed away on the fourth of Shevat, 5611 [1851], May his soul be bound up in the bond of life.
