DESCRIPTION: A IMPORTANT AMERICAN RHODE ISLAND SOLID SILVER TORAH CROWN.
This extremely large silver Torah crown has two features that are unique to all other known American Torah crowns. The first, is that it hails from Providence, Rhode Island. Unlike the overwhelming majority of surviving Torah crowns from America, whose origins can be traced to silver workshops in New York City and New Jersey, this bold Torah crown has a dedication in blue enamel (which in and of itself, is most unusual), that states from what congregation this crown belongs to, and even the street address of the Synagogue in Providence. The second feature is that along with the typical cast elements on the the ribs of the crown., there is an array of animal motifs on the base that were entirely hand chased. They are: a leopard, eagle, deer, and finally, a lion who is grasping the Ten Commandments. These animals of course reference verse 5:23 from Pirkei Avos (Ethics of the Fathers) "Be bold as a leopard, light like an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven".
We are not aware of any other Judaica pieces that have ever appeared on the market or are in any museums, that originate from the modest-sized Jewish population of Rhode Island. This is also the first time we have ever seen an American Torah crown that utilized the time-consuming, usage of hand-chasing.
MATERIAL: SOLID SILVER PARCEL GILT
SIZE: 21" 53.34 CM
HALLMARKS: UNMARKED
CONDITION: EXCELLENT
WEIGHT: 3849.7 GRAMS – 135.7 OZ
WILL DO IN HOUSE SHIPPING, WILL SHIP WOLDWIDE. FOR ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OR CONDITION REPORT PLEASE EMAIL appelauction@gmail.com OR CALL 917-578-8700
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