Torah scroll case. Iraq, dedication dated 1900 for a man who passed away in 1898.

Wood; silver sheets, repoussé and engraved; ink and paint on paper; cotton fabric; plastic beads; without Torah scroll.

Case shaped in characteristic style of Iraqi Torah scrolls, topped by a pear-shaped dome from which extend chains with bells. Coated with a large, smooth silver sheet; the dome is also smooth and segmented with thin decorative strips. A crown with a repeating vegetal pattern surrounds the dome, incorporating orange plastic beads.

Although its form is in characteristic Iraqi style, the decoration of the present case is uncommon, as other cases are generally decorated with small repoussé silver plates on velvet (see previous lot), or decorated with large silver sheets with rich repoussé designs or (see next lot) and are not smooth.

Two strips of text are shaped out at the top and bottom of the case, with a dedicatory inscription:
"This case and the Torah scroll in it are dedicated in memory of the dear Yechezkel Yitzchak Shlomo Binyamin, [1900], providing that the owners are permitted to take it out and put it in any other place that they want".

A verse (Devarim 4:44) and another dedicatory inscription appear on the interior of the case, shaped into the silver:
"This case and the Torah scroll in it are in memory of the dear Yechezkel Yitzchak Shlomo Binyamin, [1900], passed away in London, 24th of the month of / Menachem [Av] 1898".

An Iraqi finial bearing an inscription in memory of Yechezkel Yitzchak Shlomo Binyamin was auctioned by Kedem, Auction 57, 12 September 2017, Lot 418.

Height: 85 cm. Diameter: 24.5 cm. Overall good condition. Minor defects, warping and scratches. Minor fractures and warping to edges of silver sheets with dedicatory inscriptions. Orange bead decorations lacking. One clasp broken and lacking. Minor defects to interior, on fabric and wood. Glass coverings of interior silver plates may be lacking.

Torah pointer. [Iraq, early decades of the 20th century].

Silver, cast (unmarked); niello.

Heavy, massive Torah pointer, featuring two spherical ornaments, a faceted upper joint, and a cylindrical lower joint, all decorated with niello work typical of Iraq. Designs include geometric patterns, palm trees, a boat, a domed structure, and a Star of David.

Length: 29.5 cm. Good condition.

For other items originating from Iraq, decorated in niello, see Lots 84 and 120 in the present auction.

Torah Ark curtain plaque (dedication plaque). [Syria], 5695 [1935].

Silver, repoussé and engraved (unmarked); parcel-gilt.

Convex plaque, designed for sewing onto a Torah Ark curtain. Shaped as an architectural structure with a large central dome supported by two columns. In the center, within a tablet-shaped frame, is a dedication inscription: 
"Sanctified to the Lord / by Marko Cohen Arazi …for the elevation of the soul of his wife / Shafiqa Cohen Arazi / daughter of Shlomo Katash, who passed away / in the prime of her life, on the 25th / of Nisan 5695 …" (Hebrew).

Height: 35.5 cm. Width: 25 cm. Overall good condition. Minor bends and blemishes to edges.

Pair of Torah finials. Ottoman Empire (present-day Turkey), [late 19th or early 20th century].

Silver, repoussé and engraved (marked with a Tughra stamp, in use 1876-1918, and an Ottoman fineness mark).

Finials with large, pear-shaped bodies, alternately decorated with smooth curved bands and engraved vegetal designs. Each is topped with a fruit-like ornament, tilted to one side. Set on tall, matching stems engraved with dedication inscriptions pertaining to
 Chaim Abulafia.

For a similar pair, see: Center for Jewish Art (CJA), item 1185.

Height: 33 cm. Max. width: 12 cm. Good condition. Minor bends.

Two pairs of Torah finials. [Yemen, late 19th / early 20th century].

Silver, repoussé (one pair marked); filigree and granulation; coral beads; parcel-gilt.

1. A pair of parcel-gilt finials of characteristic Yemenite design – tall and slender – with three spherical ornaments of varying sizes, adorned with fine silver wire and tiny silver plaques. Topped with a conical ornament surmounted by a three-leaf motif and a small spherical element with a coral bead. Unusually, these finials are marked – presumably with the silversmith’s stamp – impressed on small silver plaques soldered onto the lowest spherical segment, accompanied by the number "79" in Eastern Arabic numerals.

Height: 32 cm. Max. width: 4.5 cm. Overall good condition. Minor defects.

2. A smaller pair of finials, with three spherical ornaments, partly parcel-gilt, fitted with chains bearing bells and clappers.

Height: 22.5 cm. Max. width: 5 cm. Overall good condition. Some chains and bells missing. Slight bends.