Marriage ceremonies are accompanied by sacred traditions and rituals. In Jewish culture, one of them is the placing of a special wedding ring on the finger of the bride. The ring is presented to the bride in the presence of two witnesses under the wedding canopy (Hebrew: chuppah). The ring was often adorned with a model of a building symbolising a home, sometimes depicting the Jerusalem Temple. The groom, while presenting the ring to his bride, utters the words: "Behold, you are consecrated to me with this ring according to the law of Moses and Israel". The act of placing the ring on the bride's right index finger initiates the wedding ceremony (Judaica ze zbiorów Muzeum Narodowego w Warszawie, edited by E. Martyna, Warsaw 1993, p. 147).
The custom of decorating the ring with a model of a building emerged in the Middle Ages. This motif signifies the purpose of entering into the marital union – the construction of a shared home, primarily understood as a family bond. This image is often accompanied by the inscription: "Mazal tow" (Hebrew: Good luck!), signifying wishes extended to the newly married couple. The symbolic building also points to the historical Jerusalem Temple, which Jews should always remember (see Małgorzata Wrześniak, Dextrarum iunctio io – rzecz o znaczeniu ślubnego pierścienia [in:] "Kwartalnik Naukowy Fides et Ratio", 2015, no. 4 (24), p. 19).
The silver ring in the collection of the District Museum in Leszno features a smooth band adorned with delicate incisions arranged in a fan shape. In contrast to traditional Jewish wedding ring designs, the top of the ring features a malleable representation of a reclining lion – the symbol of the Tribe of Judah and the symbol of Israel – with eyes inlaid with rubies.
The artifact was purchased in 1995 from the "Dawna Sztuka" Antiques Shop in Słupsk. No information is available on its owner.
Dariusz Czwojdrak
