PAIR OF PARTIALLY GILT SILVER TORAH FINIALS Padua, 18th century with later inscriptions.

On slightly tapered round staves with ring base, one knob beneath pear form top with tiered round cast finial. Knob decorated with architectural band; upper element chased with foliate bands, two of which are gilt. The staves bear engraved Hebrew dedication inscriptions: “A complete and absolute donation from the hand of the dear Uriel Hai, Levite, born in Cento, resident of Padua, in the year 1829.” No marks found. H: 335mm. The holes near the bases indicate the previous use of a bar to attach the two finials.

Cento is a town in the province of Ferrara. Although Rimonim of this type are more often of Eastern origin, the style was also documented in Venice (see R. Grafman, Crowning Glory: Silver Torah Ornaments of the Jewish Museum (1996) No. 389, p. 238) and Amsterdam (see Barnett, No. 104, Pl. LVII.) A pair of finials from Piedmont, of similar inspiration, appear in Tel Aviv University Catalogue, Fifty Rimonim (1999) No. 14, p. 35.