352
Myer Myers
American, 1723-1795
Pair of finials for a Torah scroll
New York
about 1766-76
Silver, brass, gilt silver
Among the rarest works of American silver, characterized by brilliant openwork and exuberant shapes, these finials for a Torah scroll are masterpieces of the new York silversmith Myer Myers. Since before the Revolution, they have been associated with Congregation Jeshuat Israel of Newport, Rhode Island, whose 1763 building, Touro Synagogue, is the oldest synagogue in the United states still in use. George Washington recognized Newport as a beacon of religious tolerance in a letter he sent to the Hebrew Congregation there in 1790. Washington elaborated on the inspiring words penned by Moses Seixas, the synagogue's warden, describing the young nation as having a government "which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." These finials stand as witnesses to the ideal of religious freedom in America.
The Torah Scroll and its Finials
The Torah is composed of the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), and Torah scrolls are the holiest objects in the Jewish faith, handwritten on parchment prepared according to the rules of kosher practice. Called rimmonim (Hebrew for pomegranates), finials are traditional ornaments for Torah scroll rollers. These finials called attention to every movement of the scroll within the synagogue, as the shining silver and gilding caught the light and the eye, and the tinkling of bells focused the attention of the congregation. The form has been used for centuries and evokes the Biblical description of the pillars of the Temple of Jerusalem, decorated with pomegranates as symbols of fruitfulness. Myer Myers, who was Jewish, based his designs on European Torah finials, creating among the earliest and rarest examples of Jewish ceremonial art in America. Around 1769, Jewish merchant Aaron Lopez ordered a pair of mahogany staves for a Torah from the Newport cabinetmaker John Goddard, perhaps for these very finials.
352
Myer Myers
American, 1723-1795
Pair of finials for a Torah scroll
New York
about 1766-76
Silver, brass, gilt silver
Among the rarest works of American silver, characterized by brilliant openwork and exuberant shapes, these finials for a Torah scroll are masterpieces of the new York silversmith Myer Myers. Since before the Revolution, they have been associated with Congregation Jeshuat Israel of Newport, Rhode Island, whose 1763 building, Touro Synagogue, is the oldest synagogue in the United states still in use. George Washington recognized Newport as a beacon of religious tolerance in a letter he sent to the Hebrew Congregation there in 1790. Washington elaborated on the inspiring words penned by Moses Seixas, the synagogue's warden, describing the young nation as having a government "which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance." These finials stand as witnesses to the ideal of religious freedom in America.
The Torah Scroll and its Finials
The Torah is composed of the first five books of the Bible (the Pentateuch), and Torah scrolls are the holiest objects in the Jewish faith, handwritten on parchment prepared according to the rules of kosher practice. Called rimmonim (Hebrew for pomegranates), finials are traditional ornaments for Torah scroll rollers. These finials called attention to every movement of the scroll within the synagogue, as the shining silver and gilding caught the light and the eye, and the tinkling of bells focused the attention of the congregation. The form has been used for centuries and evokes the Biblical description of the pillars of the Temple of Jerusalem, decorated with pomegranates as symbols of fruitfulness. Myer Myers, who was Jewish, based his designs on European Torah finials, creating among the earliest and rarest examples of Jewish ceremonial art in America. Around 1769, Jewish merchant Aaron Lopez ordered a pair of mahogany staves for a Torah from the Newport cabinetmaker John Goddard, perhaps for these very finials.