Obj. ID: 37244 Torah shield, Galicia, circa 1800
sub-set tree:
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.
Such a small Torah shield was apparently made for a miniature Sefer Torah. The form and style of the Tas are those of Galicia. The inscription is written in hollow letters records the donation by one Michel Halevi in honor of the birth of a daughter. The condition of this shield is not pristine, although the breaking off of corners in Galician shields is very common and is as yet an unexplained phenomenon.
Inscription: This was dedicated by the donor our teacher Yichyeh Michel Halevi for his daughter Sarah that the Lord will grow to wedding and to good deeds:
ז"נ [זאת נדב] ה"ת [התורני] מ"ה [מורינו הרב] יחיא'[ל]
מיכל הלוי טבו'[ר]
בתו הילד שר'[ה]
ה' י"ג [יגדלה] ל"ח [לחופה] למע"ט [למעשים טובים]