Torah Finials

Pieter van Hoven

1696

Pair of finials with decorated tiers and bells. — These gilt-silver Torah finials were made in Amsterdam by master silversmith Pieter van Hoven, who lived near the Jewish quarter and is best known for the Jewish ceremonial objects he crafted. Cast and engraved, the shafts of these finials are decorated with intricate floral patterns. The finials are constructed like multitiered towers, with each level accompanied by a set of successively smaller bells. This tower shape, which originated in Spain, Italy, and Germany in the fifteenth century, is believed to have been influenced by ceremonial objects in churches. By the eighteenth century, it was the most popular shape for Torah finials.

These gilt-silver Torah finials were made in Amsterdam by master silversmith Pieter van Hoven, who lived near the Jewish quarter and is best known for the Jewish ceremonial objects he crafted. Cast and engraved, the shafts of these finials are decorated with intricate floral patterns. The finials are constructed like multitiered towers, with each level accompanied by a set of successively smaller bells. This tower shape, which originated in Spain, Italy, and Germany in the fifteenth century, is believed to have been influenced by ceremonial objects in churches. By the eighteenth century, it was the most popular shape for Torah finials.

Credits

Amsterdam, Joods Historisch Museum, MB00075. On loan from the Portuguese-Israelite municipality of Amsterdam, formerly owned by the Portuguese-Israelite municipality of The Hague. http://data.jck.nl/page/aggregation/jhm-museum/MB00075

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.