silver: 1721–ca. 1727; book: 1699–1701 and 1700–1701, Wroclaw

silver: 1721–ca. 1727; book: 1699–1701 and 1700–1701, Wroclaw

Identifier
2017.59
Transfer of custody
Victoria and Albert Museum
Acquisition
Purchase, Ruth and Andrew Suzman Gift, 2017
Collection
Technique
Depiction
Production time
Production place

Description

Jewish prayer books printed in "Typographical Amsterdam Hebrew Characters" were sought after in the decades around 1700 and well into the eighteenth century in Europe. Treasured and handed down all over Europe for generations by Jewish families, these books represent the learned and sophisticated standing of their owners. The utmost precious protection for the sacred text was a silver book cover. Complete ensembles are extremely rare. The goldsmith Tobias Schier was a specialist for such ostentatiously crafted silver covers. Several examples by Schier have survived and document the master’s outstanding abilities to transform the precious metals silver and gold into objects of great elegance and exuberant appearance.