Objects

Quart vessel

Large quart (dimensions: 17.6 x 14 cm, weight: 942 g) for ritual handwashing with a volume of 2.5 litres, made of 11-lot silver The vessel has double silver handles that allow the hands to be washed without contact with the area touched by the unwashed hand. The rim and bottom of the quart feature turned-out bars with relatively irregular serrations. Sigmoid handles are decorated with a diagonal dotted check motif.

The handleless wall features an engraving in the form of a medallion, depicting the Abrahamic sacrifice. It is surrounded by geometric motifs and floral threads ending in a side view of strongly geometrised flowers. In the centre of the scene is the bearded patriarch – Abraham – wearing a fur cap and high boots and carrying the knife in his right hand. His left hand rests on Isaac's head. The boy kneels with his hands tied and turns his head towards Abraham. To the right is the sacrificial altar with a hovering angel in the clouds, while to the left is a spreading tree and a lamb leaning out from behind it. At the front is a large vase – an amphora – from which smoke rises. The scene is completed by inscriptions in Hebrew (with errors): "The angel of the Lord called to him", "The Tree of Life", "The binding of Isaac", "And he built an altar there", "The ram had his horns entangled with the bushes". The errors probably arose from the goldsmith's unfamiliarity with Hebrew, who merely copied the inscription templates provided to him. On the underside of the vessel, in one line are the goldsmith's marks: 1) a mark with the name of the maker, 2) the silver hallmark "11" (repeated on the underside of the handle and on the rim of the vessel), 3) a mark with the name of the city "KALISZ". The item was probably made in the Kalisz workshop of an unknown goldsmith on the private commission of a wealthy representative of the Jewish minority living in Kalisz. The exhibit has obtained via a subsidized antiquarian purchase in November 2022.

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Information about the object
Author / creator
unknown
Object type
handicrafts
Place of creation
Kalisz (Wielkopolskie Province)
Technique
metallurgical
forming
Material
silver
Keywords
Copyright status
the object is not protected by copyright law
Owner
Muzeum Okręgowe Ziemi Kaliskiej
Identification number
MOZK/S/2736