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Kiddush Cup

DateCa. 1775

Probably by William Harrison I (active ca. 1758 - 1781)

OriginEngland, London

MediumSilver (sterling); gold

DimensionsOH: 6 3/4in.; Diam. at lip: 3 1/2in.

Credit LineMuseum Purchase, The Antique Collectors' Guild

Object number2016-1

DescriptionCircular stepped foot with band of gadrooning and tapered stem with beaded ball knop supports egg-shaped cup with plain lip and gilded interior. Engraved with three lines of Hebrew lettering within a shield suspended from a bow-knot and flanked by slender foliate sprays.
Label TextReciting the Kiddush is part of the Jewish tradition of sanctifying the Sabbath or Shabbat, which is a commandment from the Torah. Before the meal on the eve of Friday night—when Shabbat begins—and on Jewish holidays, a family’s Kiddush cup is filled with wine and held as the blessing is spoken, usually by the head of the household. The Hebrew words on this cup are from Exodus 20:8. They can be translated as “Remember the Sabbath day, and sanctify it.”

Few ceremonial Jewish objects from the early Anglo-American world are known today. This Kiddush cup, made in London about 1775, was the first piece of silver Judaica to be added to the Colonial Williamsburg collection.
InscribedEngraved with three lines of Hebrew lettering (“Remember the Sabbath day, and sanctify it”) within a shield suspended from a bow-knot and flanked by slender foliate sprays.
MarkingsMarked in relief on side of body opposite engraving: 1) leopard's head -- rubbed with upper half of mark removed; 2) lion passant; 3) "WH" with pellet between, partially struck and upside down [see Grimwade 1990 #3159]
ProvenanceThe Dr. Stephen Oppenheimer Judaica Collection
PB84 Auction (a division of Parke-Bernet Galleries, Sotheby's), Oct. 27, 1976, lot 128

Ira & Larry Goldberg Auctioneers (Los Angeles, CA), Dec. 6, 2015, lot 394

John Kraljevich