Obj. ID: 5689
Sacred and Ritual Objects Torah finials, Corfu?, 1675-1699?
The bulbous-shaped Torah finial consists of a shaft, a body and an apex.
The cylindrical tapering shaft is encircled by a ring at its bottom, centre and top. The shaft terminates with a circlet, decorated with a floral motif.
The compressed globular body is formed by a bowl shaped base surmounted by a cupola topped by an elongated conical tapering top. Each unit is shaped as a whorl of segments radiating from the centre, and is adorned with foliate patterns.
Six chains carrying conical bells are suspended from the lower part of the body. The elongated top is decorated with vertical scrolled foliate stems enclosed within strips.
A pine-cone apex is set on top of the finial.
It seems that this pair of finials is a combination of two types of finials originating in Corfu in the late 17th century. One of them (Sc.522-19; S-G 4; fig. 1) is a hexagonal finial bordered by a bowl shaped base and surmounted by a pointed cupola. The base and the cupola are formed of a whorl of lobes enclosing flowers. Each of the facets is adorned with a shield and a cypress tree alternatively. The decoration is in high relief and resembles the style of our finial. The similarity is noticeable especially in the design of the lobes and their decoration.
The second pair of finials from Corfu (Sc.522-17; S-G 5; fig. 3) is comparable to ours in its shape, but differs in its style and motifs. Both finials are shaped as globes (ours is a compressed globe) with an expanded conical top, surmounted by an apex. 0
The finial is marked with a mark S-G 6, which probably indicates the original synagogue's inventory number. Similar marks are also stamped on ritual objects that were part of the Greca synagogue of Corfu.
11 image(s)
sub-set tree:
The finials are in good condition.
1. Artist?
Amar, Ariella, and Irina Chernetsky. The Collection of the Jewish Museum of Greece. Jerusalem: The Center for Jewish Art, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2007. Internal publication.