Small porcelain Kiddush cup, Italy, circa 1810. Gold painted, decorated with floral design, and bearing the Hebrew owner’s name: Moshe Finzi.
Kiddush cup is a ceremonial vessel to hold wine for the blessing said at Shabbat and Jewish holidays meals.
Finzi family An ancient Italian family, which probably derived its name from "Pine?as, " through the Latin "Finea." The remotest known bearers of the name of "Finzi" were Musetino del fu Museto do Finzi di Ancona, who was concerned in establishing the first Jewish money-lending office in Padua in 1369, and his sons Emanuel, Solomon, and Cajo, who bought real estate in 1380. Cajo is probably identical with the Isaac ben Moses Finzi who represented his congregation at the congress in Bologna in 1416. He seems to have been a scholar, for in a document of 1389 he is styled "magister gayus." A Bible manuscript (Cod. Asher, No. 2) belonging to Solomon contains the genealogy of the Finzi family.
After his death in 1421 the manuscript came into the hands of his son Abraham (d. 1446), and after him into the possession of his son Mordecai, a physician, who flourished at Mantua (1440-75), and who was distinguished also as mathematician and astronomer. The library of Turin contains many of his manuscripts. His astronomical tables were published at Mantua under the title "Lu?ot, Tabulæ Longitudinis Dierum, " probably before 1480. He also wrote glosses to Efodi’s Hebrew grammar, "?esheb ha-Efod." Joseph Sarka, Efodi’s pupil, was hospitably received by the Finzis at Mantua.
H 1.58 in. x Dm 2.37 in.
H 4 cm x Dm 6 cm
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