Besamim
Artist
Unknown
CultureOttoman
Date19th-20th century
MediumCast parcel-gilt silver, engraved and chiseled
Dimensions5 3/4 × 3 1/2 in. (14.6 × 8.9 cm)
Base: 3 3/16 in. (8.1 cm)
Base: 3 3/16 in. (8.1 cm)
Markingstwice marked with a tughra (silver hallmark of a sultan); several wriggled assay grooves
Credit LineMuseum purchase
Object number2019.40
On View
Chrysler Museum of Art, Gallery 220
Label TextBesamim (Spice Box) Ottoman Empire, 19th or early 20th century Silver and gilded silver Museum purchase 2019.40 Besamim boxes hold sweet smelling spices and are used in the ritual of Havadalah that marks the end of the weekly Sabbath in the Jewish tradition. The zig-zag assay marks, or makers’ symbols, and the Sultan’s tughra, or hallmark, indicate that this example was made in the Ottoman Empire. At its height, more than 500,000 members of the Jewish community lived in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Only 5 percent of that number reside there today.ProvenanceBreitner Collection, Munich, since the 1920s; Kunstkammer George Laue; ChrysExhibition History"Come Together, Right Now: The Art of Gathering," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, October 11, 2020 - January 3, 2021.
