Silver besamim or tower-type fragrance tin, with the following dimensions: height – 22.7 cm, diameter – 4.7 cm; foot diameter – 5.2 cm, weight – 109 g.
The cylindrical, openwork, two-storey box constituting the main part of the exhibit, is set on a circular foot. The walls of the box are made in a technique that imitates filigree and are divided into four segments, into which ovals with an openwork plant-like ornament are placed. In one of the segments there is a hinged door, fitted with a small handle, for placing fragrances in the box. The box is closed at the top by a profiled roof – a section of a cone with concave-convex walls. On it rests the second tier of the box, which has a smaller perimeter but, like the previous one, is openwork and made in quasi-filigree technique. The upper part of the box is a conical spire, tapering upwards. It is topped by a sphere with a rotating flag (missing). Visible goldsmith's marks in the form of the letter "L", in an oval field the motif of an animal supported on its hind legs with the letter "I" and an assay wavy line placed on the base of the foot of the spice box.
In Judaism, spice boxes belong to basic objects of worship. They can come in a variety of shapes and forms. Fragrances (roots or herbs) were placed inside through a door or a hinged roof. They were used in a ceremony called havdala (Hebrew for "distinction, separation"), held in private homes at the end of the Sabbath, and involving the inhalation of fragrances. It was done as a commemoration of a similar activity that had taken place in the Jerusalem Temple until the time of its destruction. This ceremony, on the one hand, alleviated the sad moment of losing the extra soul gained during the Sabbath period and, on the other, strengthened the inhaler against the hardships of the weekday.
The exhibit has been in the Museum's collection since ca. 1970, was restored in 2021.
