Obj. ID: 37298
  Sacred and Ritual  Torah shield, Breslau, 1763

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

Breastplates – ornamental metal plates or shields hung in front of the Torah scroll – are found in all Ashkenazi communities, as well as Italy and Turkey, but designed differently in each community. In most cases the breastplate is made of silver or silver-plated metal. In Italy the breastplate is shaped like a half-coronet and known as the Chatzi-keter, "half-crown." In Turkey, the breastplate is called a Tas, and assumes a variety of shapes – circular, triangular, oval, or even the Star of David. In Western, Central, and Eastern Europe the breastplate is called either Tas or Tziz; its function there is not merely ornamental: it designates which Torah scroll is to be used for the Torah reading on any particular occasion, with interchangeable plaques.

The most notable early breastplates, from 17th-century Germany and Holland, were either square or rectangular, but over time they became rounded and decorative, and bells or small dedicatory plaques were suspended from its lower edge. During this period, the design of breastplates was influenced by that of the Torah Ark and the parokhet (curtain) concealing it, featuring various architectural motifs, the menorah (the seven-branched candelabrum), Moses and Aaron, lions, or Torah crowns.

This is an 18th-century example of the Breslau type Tas using the figures of Aaron and Moshe, this relatively small Torah shield is typical of the several from the hand of this master. Breslau silversmiths were the first to make Torah shields with the figures of Moses and Aaron and the most prolific with these figures. The presentation of human figures on Torah Shields is a rare occurrence. The inscription is of a later date than the hallmarks.

 Inscription: Abbreviations for the Ten Commandments on the Tablets of the Law. chronogram (5)570 [=1810] The chronogram: According to the reckoning,