Silver, cast, repoussé, punched, and engraved.
Hallmarks: · Municipal mark of the city of Turin; · Mark of assayer Bartolomeo Bernardi, active Turin (1778-1816).
Tall Torah finials, in the form of hexagonal, three-tiered towers, tapering upward, with a roof in the shape of a hexagonal shingled spire, surmounted by a double-handled vase filled with flowers. The sides of the finials, their shafts, and their bases are all adorned with rocailles and other vegetal patterns characteristic of the 18th century. Three adornments associated with the Temple in Jerusalem are engraved onto the lower tier: the showbread laid out upon its table, the Jar of Manna, and the seven-branched Menorah. Architectonic pillars (pilasters) protrude at the corners of each tier, and a dozen long chains with bells at their ends are suspended from the bottom tier. The shafts are tall and cylindrical, widening bottomward, and supported on broad, dome-shaped bases. Hebrew inscriptions engraved along the rims of the bases, identical on both finials: "Yehoshua Boaz son of Avraham Hai of the Barukh family". The name "Yehoshua Boaz ben Avraham of the Barukh family", or, by his Italian name, Salvador Boniforte De Benedetti, is mentioned in a number of documents originating from the Piedmont Region of Italy; according to these documents, he was born in the Piedmontese municipality of Nizza Monferrato in 1739.

Height: 50.5-51 cm. Diameter at base: 9 cm. Old repairs.

References: Vittore Colorni, Judaica Minora, Milan, 1991, pp. 1-5; Renata Segre, The Jews of Piedmont, vol. 3, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, 1990, item nos. 3146 and 3277. See also National Library of Israel (NLI), item no. 990026129770205171 of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) Collection.
Exhibitions:
1. Glasgow, Festival of Jewish Arts Exhibition, McLellan Galleries, 1951, item no. 239.
2. Basel, Jewish Museum of Switzerland, JMS 1001.
Provenance:
1. Collection of Solomon David Schloss (1815-1911).
2. Lewis Raphael Castle (1858-1932), son of the above.
3. Peter Castle (1922-2011), grandson of the above.
4. Heirs of the above.
This item appears in the inventory list of the Schloss Collection, dated 1923 (see appendix, pp. 146-148), and is documented in a 1931 collection photograph (see p. 11).

Miniature volume in Spanish including a siddur and pocket calendar, both in Spanish, in a splendid binding with silver buckles. Amsterdam, 17th century.
"Orden de oraciones, de mes con los ayunos del solo y congregacion y Pascuas nuevamente emendaco y anedido" ["Order of the Prayers for the Regular Days of the Week, for Sabbaths, and for Holidays"]. Amsterdam: printed by Iehudah Machabeu on behalf of Eliau y David Uziel Cardoso, 5416 [1656]. Spanish.
The siddur was printed entirely in Spanish, and was specifically intended for Marranos (conversos) and other members of Amsterdam’s Spanish-Jewish community. Rare edition, not in NLI.
Printed along with: "Calendario de las Fiestas que Celebran los Hebreos, En cada un ano… Del a criacion del mundo 5417 hasta 5436" ["Calendar of Holidays and Festivals for the Years 5417-5436 (1656-1676)"]. Amsterdam: Gillis Joosten (edited by Iehudah Machabeu), 1656. Spanish.
The binding is adorned on both sides with silver corner ornaments and with a pair of fancy silver buckles. An additional pair of silver ornaments serve as hinges connecting the front and rear binding to the book’s spine (all silver ornaments gilt).

Siddur: [2], 697, [3], 9 pages. Calendar: [25] pages. Height of binding: 9 cm. Gilt leaf edges, gauffered with a pattern of flowers and birds. Overall good condition. Stains, some with moderate browning. Slight wear to some leaves. Open tears affecting text in several places. Title page and additional leaf detached. Minor blemishes to binding (fracture, slightly open, to top of spine).

Exhibitions:
1. Presumably, London, Exhibition of Jewish Art and Antiquities, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1906, item no. 1096.
2. Basel, Jewish Museum of Switzerland, JMS 1015.
Provenance:
1. Collection of Solomon David Schloss (1815-1911).
2. Lewis Raphael Castle (1858-1932), son of the above.
3. Peter Castle (1922-2011), grandson of the above.
4. Heirs of the above.
This item appears in the inventory list of the Schloss Collection, dated 1923 (see appendix, pp. 146-148), and is documented in a 1931 collection photograph (see p. 11).

Siddur for the entire year, in Yiddish, arranged according to Ashkenazic custom. Includes Psalms and prayers of supplication, with separate title pages. Amsterdam: Press of Solomon Ben Yosef Proops, 1714. In decorated silver binding with engraved dedicatory inscriptions and chain, used for suspension or for fixing the siddur to the synagogue furniture.
Silver, pierced, repoussé, engraved, and soldered (unmarked); Print on paper; wood and leather.
Dutch women’s siddur. Title page with engraving by Joannes Lamsvelt, depicting biblical heroines: Eve, Rebecca, Leah, Miriam, Deborah, and Hannah. The Talmudic teaching "In the merit of righteous women were our fathers redeemed from Egypt", appears at the bottom of the title page.
Apparently, this siddur was given by a bridegroom to his bride-to-be in accordance with the custom of "sivlonot", namely gifts sent by a newly-betrothed couple to one another following their betrothal. It is bound in its original wooden binding, and coated in full-grain leather encased within an elegant silver binding, engraved with the names of the bride and groom. The various decorations in the silver binding are created by piercing, such that the underlying dark leather appears in the background.
The back and front of the binding are identically adorned with vegetal patterns, and, in the center, a pair of lions with outstretched tongues, grasping a heart-shaped medallion surmounted by a large, crown-shaped ornament. The medallion on the front binding is engraved with the name of the bridegroom and the Hebrew year, "Hayyim son of / Uri Cohen / of blessed memory. 5477 [1717]", surmounted by a small, engraved, crown-shaped ornament. The medallion on the rear binding is engraved with the name of the bride and the Hebrew year, "Gittel daughter of / Rabbi Abraham / may he live for many long years 5477…". The unpierced spine bears matching patterns. A pair of silver ornaments, spanning the width of the book block, are perpendicularly soldered onto the top and bottom of the spine. The book block is locked with a pair of decorated silver buckles attached to the silver binding, and a suspension chain spans the top of the book block, connected to the front and rear silver binding by means of a pair of rings.
A handwritten notation attesting ownership to the bride, Gittel daughter of Abraham, appears in Yiddish on the front endpapers. It is dated 1718. A personal prayer, also in Yiddish, is handwritten onto the final pages of the siddur. In all likelihood, like the ownership notation in the front, it was written by the book’s owner, namely the bride herself.
For a similar item, see: The Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv, item no. 025.001.007 (Center for Jewish Art, item no. 23636).

Silver Binding: 18.5 cm. Good condition.  Minor blemishes and warping to clasp hinges, and edges of spine. Minor warping to binding edges.

Siddur: [1], 279, 136 Leaves. Approx. 17.5 cm. Overall good condition. Six original vorsatz leaves, three in the beginning of the volume and three more at its end, with handwritten ownership inscriptions in Yiddish (see above). Leaves 113-136 in first sequence detached, torn, and missing (leaf 114 and most of leaf 113 missing). Stains, with some browning. Creases and minor wear. Tears, including open tears, at leaf margins, affecting text in some places. Gilt leaf edges, with gauffered patterns of flowers and birds. Original wooden binding, covered in leather. Paper label (English print form, filled in with handwritten script) bearing the name of Solomon Schloss, from the exhibition at Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1906, pasted to inside front cover.

Exhibitions:
1. London, Exhibition of Jewish Art and Antiquities, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1906, item no. 1098 (paper label glued onto inside flap of binding).
2. Glasgow, Festival of Jewish Arts Exhibition, McLellan Galleries, 1951, item no. 251.
3. Basel, Jewish Museum of Switzerland, JMS 1009.
Provenance:
1. Collection of Solomon David Schloss (1815–1911).
2. Lewis Raphael Castle (1858-1932), son of the above.
3. Peter Castle (1922-2011), grandson of the above.
4. Heirs of the above.
This item appears in the inventory list of the Schloss Collection, dated 1923 (see appendix, pp. 146-148), and is documented in a 1931 collection photograph (see p. 11).

Hallmarks: · Quality mark "12"; · Maker's mark "AJ".
Pair of decorated cases for housing phylacteries, with each case consisting of a cube-shaped box rising from a flat base. Adorned on all sides with recurrent vegetal patterns, including large, matching floral decorations. Inscriptions engraved on upper faces: the Hebrew letters "shin-yud" ("shel yad": "of the arm") and "shin-resh" ("shel rosh": "of the head").

Height: 5 cm. Length: 7.5 cm. Width: 5.5 cm. Good condition. Minor blemishes and stains. Minor warping to base of the "shin-resh" case.
Exhibition: London, Exhibition of Jewish Art and Antiquities, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1906, item no. 1169. Documented in the following article in which the above exhibition is reviewed: "The Exhibition of Jewish Art and Antiquities, Part 2: Ecclesiastical Art", "The Jewish Chronicle", November 16, 1906, p. 18.

Provenance:
1. Collection of Solomon David Schloss (1815-1911).
2. Lewis Raphael Castle (1858-1932), son of the above.
3. Peter Castle (1922-2011), grandson of the above.
4. Heirs of the above.

Silver, cast, turned, pierced, and engraved; gilt
Hallmarks (marked on base only): · The municipal mark of the city of Mulhouse, in use during the 17th and 18th centuries; · Maker's mark, the initials "IIK" – Johann Jacob Kielmann (1728-1819, certified silversmith from 1756).
Havdalah spicebox designed in the form of a multi-tiered tower, with balconies, flags, arches, and other apertures and openwork, in various forms and patterns. Cubic spice compartment, pierced on three sides with an openwork lattice pattern with an architectonic column in the middle; and on the front face with three small windows above a large, hinged door to be opened and closed. The door has a handle and can be locked by means of a key attached to a small dead bolt. Standing on the balcony above the spice compartment, at the corners, are four miniature male figures: two are wearing round hats; of these, one wields a small sledgehammer-like implement while the other blows a "shofar" (or some other type of horn); the other two wear contemporary hats (their hands are missing). Another balcony has four flags rising up from its corners. This balcony is surmounted by a belfry and bell chamber (with no bell) topped with a tall, domed, shingled roof supported by fancy columns. The roof is in turn surmounted by a gilt ornament supporting a flag. The shaft of the spicebox is in the form of a three-handled pitcher; the handles are fashioned in a vegetal pattern and are surmounted by bird heads. The dome-shaped base is adorned with floral patterns and rocailles.
The spicebox ("Hadas") presented here comprises silver elements dating from different periods. It appears that the upper, tower-shaped section was created in Germany in the late 17th or early 18th century. The pitcher-shaped shaft is earlier, and is dated to ca. 1620-1640. The base – the part bearing the silver mark from Mulhouse – is dated to the late decades of the 18th century. It assumed its present form sometime in the 19th century, at which time the gilt was restored to its various parts.
As to the significance of the miniature figures standing in the corners of the balcony, in the estimation of the Jewish Museum of Switzerland, where the item was on display for many years, they are likely meant to represent a synagogue attendant or manager (shamash or gabay), who would go from house to house in the Jewish neighborhood and knock on the doors with an instrument resembling a miniature sledgehammer (known in Yiddish as a "shul-klapper") in order to awaken the residents for morning synagogue services.

Height: 34.5 cm. Diameter at base: approx. 9 cm. Uppermost flag not original. Unclear inscriptions engraved on bottom of base. The hands of two of the figures are missing.

Reference: Katia Guth-Dreyfus (ed.), Juden im Elsass: Jüdisches Museum der Schweiz, Schweizerisches Museum für Volkskunde: Ausstellung 1992-1993, Basel, Switzerland, 1992. Exhibition catalogue, item no. 84, illustrated on p.23, described in p. 53.

Exhibitions:

1. London, Exhibition of Jewish Art and Antiquities, Whitechapel Art Gallery, 1906, item no. 1106.
2. Basel, Jewish Museum of Switzerland, JMS 1038.
Provenance:
1. Collection of Solomon David Schloss (1815-1911).
2. Lewis Raphael Castle (1858-1932), son of the above.
3. Peter Castle (1922-2011), grandson of the above.
4. Heirs of the above.
This item appears in the inventory list of the Schloss Collection, dated 1923 (see appendix, pp. 146-148), and is documented in a 1931 collection photograph (see p. 11).