Rimmonim (Torah finials)

Free royal cities had the right to bar Jews from membership of the guilds, meaning that Jewish craftsmanship was very rare. There were only two towns in the Hungarian Kingdom in the 18th and 19th centuries where Jews were allowed to work as silversmiths: Óbuda (Alt-Ofen) and Bratislava (Pressburg-Schlossberg). In those communities Jewish masters created Judaica as well, which was unusual in Central Europe, where even Jewish ceremonial objects were normally crafted by Gentiles. The members of the Becker dynasty from Bratislava were outstanding craftsmen. Along with ordinary silver objects they also produced objects to beautify the Torah scroll. Torah finials (rimmonim) decorate the staves of the Torah scroll, and refer to the ancient symbol of wealth and fertility and even the Torah itself: the pomegranate. There are at least 14 pairs of Torah finials created by Fredericus Becker, Sr. (active ca. 1800-1826), three of which are now in the collection of the Jewish Community Museum in Bratislava. His finials are round-shaped items, evoking the pomegranate fruit. The shafts are cylindrical, with indicated nodes, and the tops are pierced and decorated with arcades, palmettes and floral motifs. The fashionable Biedermeier style of the rimmonim links the Jewish community to the contemporary visual environment, and refers to the social status aspired to by local Jews. [ZT]

Fredericus Becker, Sr., Bratislava, 1816, silver
Height: 22.5 cm, diameter: 8 cm
ŽM-D 1465 I-36 and ŽM-D 1466 I-37