Pair of Torah Finials
- Date
- 1778
- Material
- Silver with gilding
- made in
- Amsterdam, Noord-Holland province, Netherlands, Europe
- Classification
- Metalwork
- Collection
- Decorative Arts and Design
- Current Location
- Not on view
- Dimensions
- height: 18 3/8 in. (46.7 cm)
(with base): 20 3/8 x 5 1/8 in. (51.8 x 13 cm) - Credit Line
- The Deane and Paul Shatz Endowment Fund for Judaica
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 108:2000.1,.2
NOTES
These finials ("rimmonim") capped the rods of a rolled Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible and the most sacred object in the Jewish faith. Miniature breastplates, crowns, and precious textiles also adorned the scrolls when they were not in use. The finials’ bells drew attention to the Torah, draped in a trimmed mantle, or cloth cover, as the procession moved through the synagogue before and after readings.
Provenance
c.1778 -
Jacob Gedalja Pos (b.1760), The Hague, The Netherlands [1]
by 1977 -
Phillips Gallery, London, England [2]
1977 - 2000
Asea Furman (1922-1991), Jacobo Furman, and Tania Furman, Santiago, Chile, purchased from Phillips Gallery [3]
2000/12/12
In auction "Magnificent Judaica and Manuscripts Including Property Formerly in the Furman Collection," Sotheby's New York, lot no 41 [4]
2000-
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased at auction [5]
Notes:
The pair of finials 108:2000.1 and 108:2000.2 share the same provenance.
[1] The date letter mark on the finials indicate that they were made in 1778. The Hebrew inscription on the staves states that they were a gift of Jacob Gedalja Pos, the son of Tanchum Pos [Furman, Jacobo. "Treasures of Jewish Art from the Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Judaica." New York: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997].
[2] An email from Susan L. Braunstein, author of a 1985 catalogue on the Furman collection, indicates that the Furmans acquired the finials from Phillips Gallery, London in 1977 [email dated May 2, 2006, SLAM document files].
[3] See note [2]. The finials were published in two catalogues of the Furman collection, dated 1985 and 1997 [Braunstein, Susan L. "The Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Jewish Ceremonial Art." New York: The Jewish Museum, 1985, no. 7; Furman, Jacobo. "Treasures of Jewish Art from the Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Judaica." New York: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997].
[4] See catalog, "Magnificent Judaica and Manuscripts Including Property Formerly in the Furman Collection," Sotheby's New York, December 12, 2000, lot no. 41.
[5] Per invoice from Sotheby's dated December 13, 2000 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 1, 2001.
Jacob Gedalja Pos (b.1760), The Hague, The Netherlands [1]
by 1977 -
Phillips Gallery, London, England [2]
1977 - 2000
Asea Furman (1922-1991), Jacobo Furman, and Tania Furman, Santiago, Chile, purchased from Phillips Gallery [3]
2000/12/12
In auction "Magnificent Judaica and Manuscripts Including Property Formerly in the Furman Collection," Sotheby's New York, lot no 41 [4]
2000-
Saint Louis Art Museum, purchased at auction [5]
Notes:
The pair of finials 108:2000.1 and 108:2000.2 share the same provenance.
[1] The date letter mark on the finials indicate that they were made in 1778. The Hebrew inscription on the staves states that they were a gift of Jacob Gedalja Pos, the son of Tanchum Pos [Furman, Jacobo. "Treasures of Jewish Art from the Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Judaica." New York: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997].
[2] An email from Susan L. Braunstein, author of a 1985 catalogue on the Furman collection, indicates that the Furmans acquired the finials from Phillips Gallery, London in 1977 [email dated May 2, 2006, SLAM document files].
[3] See note [2]. The finials were published in two catalogues of the Furman collection, dated 1985 and 1997 [Braunstein, Susan L. "The Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Jewish Ceremonial Art." New York: The Jewish Museum, 1985, no. 7; Furman, Jacobo. "Treasures of Jewish Art from the Jacobo and Asea Furman Collection of Judaica." New York: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1997].
[4] See catalog, "Magnificent Judaica and Manuscripts Including Property Formerly in the Furman Collection," Sotheby's New York, December 12, 2000, lot no. 41.
[5] Per invoice from Sotheby's dated December 13, 2000 [SLAM document files]. Minutes of the Collections Committee of the Board of Trustees, Saint Louis Art Museum, March 1, 2001.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.
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