Description

A PAIR OF EXCEPTIONALLY RARE SILVER TORAH FINIALS BY ALEXANDER HART ABRAHAMS. Charleston, South Carolina, c. 1840. Made of coin silver. Hand wrought. Engraved on stems with maker’s name and “Charleston, So.Carolina”. Decorated with Palmetto tree design near Star of David finials. Alexander Hart (Hezekial) Abrahams was born in Bremens, Germany on June 18, 1801 and died in Charleston, South Carolina on October 16, 1871. He was a member of Kehilat Kadosh Beth Elohim and is buried in the Coming Street cemetery. He was married to Hannah Moses (born Colombia, South Carolina on December 17, 1809 and died in Charleston, South Carolina, on April 18, 1875). Their first son Adolphus was born on November 25, 1830. This, theoretically puts him in America no later than 1829. Unfortunately all of his children died within his lifetime. American Torah silver of this time period is extremely rare. This pair of Torah finials were published in Jay Weinstein’s A COLLECTOR’S GUIDE TO JUDAICA” where they were pictured in color. Provenance: Sotheby’s New York 1982.