An antique Hebrew piece ... not weapon
 

This is what happens when you go to the antiques fair and there are no weapons to buy, but still you have to release your consumist instincts.
This is (to me) a fine silver work. I came home and searched the Net, to learn that this is called a Yad (יד), a silver pointer used to follow the words of the Tora, once you are not supposed to touch its parchment with your fingers.This example has hallmarks from Moscow and assay by some Viktor Savinkov in 1878.
I wonder if the stones are rubis; also would love to know the meaning of the fishes in the star of David, as well as the meaning of the grape ... not to speak of the lion on the top.
I didn't yet find the silversmith listed; his initials are either ДП or a АП ... i can't figure out whether the first letter is a Dey or a Ah.
I also wonder if this is not a replica, faking the antique rare item :confused: .
I know this is not a weapon ... but where else should i go ? :shrug: .There are guys here that know a lot about silver smithing, as also Hebrew culture.
Who knows i will be contemplated with some coments :o .
Thanks
Fernando

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Fernando

It's nice but it's not my area but I have seen a ton of these on ebay and I my doubts on it's age. :shrug:

Lew

Copy or not, it's a nice item and worthy of some investigation. I really must try to check out your antiques markets one day. They certainly seem to have some interesting stuff!
Regards Stu

If I remember correctly this is called a Yad which is pointer that is used when reading the Torah.


Robert

Sorry for the late reaction in thanking your input, Lew.
Yes, the problem is that i don't use ebay ... for good and for bad :shrug: .
After your hint i went there and confirmed they have zillions of these at offer. Probably 'my' seller didn't buy this specimen directly from that auctioner, but i guess the original provenance is the same. I have also been reading a couple articles on applying old Russian hallmarks in recent stuff, to increase their value; so this must be the case. Not that the piece is junk, or without a relative value; but the antique hallmark trick is a fraud and pulls up the price to an unreal level ... in other words, i was robbed, having paid some three times as much as it should be, assuming the piece is contemporaneous.
Just wait untill i see the seller in the next fair; if nothing else, i will eat his brain, and threaten him with the burning of his image, plus fraud cumplicity :mad: .
Having said that, i regret for not having received any posting with coments on the thematic area, like whether the symbols represented in this yad have their plausibility, the fake hallmarks not interfering with it.
So bad :shrug:
Thanks again
Fernando

Thank you Robert

As posted, i have learnt that much ... from the web and also from Portuguese Sinagogue illustrations i have.

Not my speciality but the lion is the Lion of Judah.
The grapes probably represents the land of Israel and the fish might represent plentitude.

Michael

Hi Stu, thank you

Yes, they have lots of junk, some nice things ... and knock offs, be them nice or ugly :eek:

Fernando

Thank you Michael

Now, that's something :) .

Fernando

Fernando, before to have a final idea, use the following site
to identify all the stamps
http://www.ascasonline.org/index.html#dictionary
even, you may ask for question, after you will fix your thought :p

all the best

à +

Dom

Hi Fernando :) ,
this may be useful.....perhaps the individual whom wrote this guide may be persuaded to help you further....

http://216.239.59.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=2&gl=uk

Regards David

Thanks for your kind help, Dom and David :) .
Those are precisely the web sites where i have identified the marks and also based my conclusion that potentialy they are a fake.
But i hadn't thaught about contacting them for an opinnion, which i have just done, thanks to your idea :cool: .
Best wishes
Fernando