Torah Crown

A close examination of the inscriptions and structure of this crown reveals that it was made and decorated in two phases. The longest inscription on a gilt cartouche of the lower band reveals that the older, lower section was given by a couple in honor of their sons:

"T[his] was g[iven] by Moses son of Isaac Menkes�and his wife...Rachel, daughter of Moses Samson in honor of their sons, may they he privileged to raise [them] to Torah to the wedding canopy and to good deeds (from the circumcision ceremony) [in the year] 'Then whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed'" [Ex. 17:11; chronogram for [5]525 (= 1764/5)].

The decoration of this lower portion largely consists of architectural and ornamental elements: pilasters and arches, fruits, rococo scroll and shell forms, and animals. Eight or nine years after its fabrication, a second donor added the rampant griffins, the upper circlet, and the domed section. The griffins rest on rococo scroll consoles, which obscure some of the original floral motifs. The second donor added engraved silver dedicatory panels to the lowest tier in memory of his parents.

"May God remember the soul of my father�Simon son of Abraham because lam donating this for the memory of his soul�and [for] my mother Zissel daughter of Rabbi Israel Isser Zvi Hirsch�" and a date, on the second upper circlet:

"Finished on the eve of Rosh Hashanah (the New Year) [5]534" (=1773).

The second donation, the upper section, is the most interesting portion of the crown. The cast griffins that support it are relatives of the heraldic, guardian figures found on the contemporaneous carved wooden arks of Galician synagogues. They support a circlet bearing complete cycle of zodiac signs, each labeled in Hebrew. This astrological cycle has a long history in Jewish art from the period of the mosaic pavements of ancient synagogues, through medieval decorative arts and illuminated manuscripts, to printed versions of the same texts dating to the 18th century. Another possible influence on iconography of the Lvov crown was the famous painted ceiling of the nearby Chodorów wooden synagogue whose program included a zodiac cycle surrounding a central circle with a double-headed eagle, symbol of the Polish kingdom that ruled Galicia until 1772. (The same political symbol appears on the lower tier of the crown.) However, the symbols of crown cycle differ markedly from those of the painted ceiling in both their forms and surrounding inscriptions, which suggests that the silversmith had another model, probably printed prayer book or haggadah.

By adding another tier and a dome, the second, unnamed donor created a crown whose complex structure reflects multitiered architecture and furnishings of Galician synagogues of the 17th and 18th centuries. He also set a pattern which would be followed by numerous East and Central European Torah crowns into the 20th century.

Source: Norman L. Kleeblatt and Vivian B. Mann. TREASURES OF THE JEWISH MUSEUM. New York: The Jewish Museum, 1986, pp. 102-103.