Spice Tower

Besamim boxes in the shape of towers have a long tradition in Judaism. What is unusual about this one is the combination of silver filigree and enamel, which was common in Christian ritual objects such as crucifixes. The Jewish client who commissioned this tower was evidently aware of such Christian works. The tower was made in the eighteenth century in Schwäbisch Gmünd, which did not have a Jewish community at the time. The images on the tower’s two levels come from well-known biblical stories. The images show a variety of scenes: Eliezer at the well with Rebecca, Isaac blessing his son Jacob, Jacob’s dream of the ladder to heaven, Jacob wrestling with the angel and acquiring the name Israel.