Antique Italian Puppets, 19th Century

Antique early 19th century English crimping or goffering iron, Circa 1840. Used to make ruffles, frills, flounces, and pleats in starched linen, the crimpling iron was first introduced in Italy in the early 17th century. Very popular from the Elizabethan era...

An Intricate Jerusalem Textile, made in Jerusalem, 1886. Double-sided large pouch. Wool thread embroidered on cotton net. One side has a lion and stag holding flags reading “Jerusalem” in Hebrew, which flank a crowned Ten Commandments. Titled in Hebrew “Swift as a deer, strong as a lion” (Ethics of the Fathers 5:20). “Jerusalem” is seen in large lettering, atop a pair of birds and flowers. Top scene of the reverse side is titled “Mount of Olives”, amongst a plethora of olive trees, and a cluster of buildings is titled “Chulda the Prophetess”, (where her and others tombs reside). Main scene is titled “The Western Wall”, which features the wall and outer structures with turrets and Cyprus trees. The Hebrew date of “1886” is revealed on the bottom corners. This delicate textile, incredibly vibrant in color after 130 years of being created, is a masterful, exceedingly rare work of art produced in Jerusalem by an unknown woman --- likely quite young, a teenager --- as a gift to an unknown individual. Too complex to be a “tourist trinket”, as we know of one other similarly-made textile that is in the collection of the Israel Museum, and is dated 1876: see the book “Jewish Folk Art: From Biblical Days to Modern Times”, page 122. A clue to where perhaps this was made is in the depiction of the lion and stag holding flags, as they are identical to those featured on the crest of Moses Montefiore. In the 19th century, Montefiore gave enormous sums of money to purchase land for Jewish settlements and establish schools in Palestine. This textile most likely hailed from a school for girls funded by Montefiore, and was made as either a gift for Montefiore himself, or another wealthy donor. As to the actual purpose of this textile, since it is in the form of a large pouch, its intended purpose might have been to hold a tallit (prayer...

This is a very good quality antique Vesta case, all handmade from various hardwoods and having well detailed shell inlay, dating to the 19th Century, Circa 1880. The case is all han...

Brass Hanukkah Lamp, Salonika, Greece, 19th century. Openwork backplate with scrolled branches; three stylized flowers support central triangular c...

Hand carved wooden Torah pointer, Germany, circa 1880. Folk Art Judaica. Every item in Menorah Galleries is accompanied by a Lifetime "Certificat...

Antique Hanukkah lamp, cast brass, rivets, Algeria, circa 1880. Crescent-shaped back plate, with eight gates, a vase with flowers, apertures in veget...

A true collectors item, this travail de maîtrise/master's work, made in France in the 19th century, dated 1879, a wooden three spoke wheel, mounted on a contemporary iron base, a rar...

Brass Hanukkah lamp Menorah, Poland, circa 1810. Cast in Bench form, on four feet. The backplate is cast and pierced featuring scrollwork. This lamp was made by the technique known as "sand casting". This process begins with a wooden mold that was carved out to create negative space, which in turn is used to make the inverse form or shape to be used for the casting of metal. The mold is pressed into fine sand mixed with clay, then removed, and molten brass poured into the impression. When a mold wears out, a casting from that mold is often used as the mold for the next generation. Those later lamps...

Early 19th Century Marionette Puppets A rare untouched example of two hand crafted early 19th century marionette puppets, likely to be French in...

The backplate is cast and featuring a deer in the center surrounded by open scrollwork. The side panels fitted with two servant lights, fronted by a row of eight oil fonts. Scholars theorize that these Polish Chanukah lamps that bear two servant lights (as opposed to the singular servant light normally found on a Hanukkah Lamp...