Redemption of the First-Born Ceremony Plate

Unknown

dated 1767 · Pewter · European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

The names of the owners in Hebrew [translated as “Katz”] appear above the date, translated to “in the year 1767.” The symbol of the two hands at the top shows that the owner was a descendent of the priestly class from the ancient Temple. The Hebrew verse around the plate's rim comes from a biblical verse in the Book of Isaiah 59:21. The drawing at the center depicts the biblical scene when Joab kills Absalom from 2 Samuel 18:9-14. The bull may be a reference to the zodiac sign for Taurus corresponding to the Hebrew month Iyar in which the owner of plate might have been born

Artist

Unknown

Date

dated 1767

Medium

Pewter

Culture

German

Department

European Sculpture and Decorative Arts

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1906