Judaica silver in the collections

13th century spice box

This small spice box is the first piece of Jewish art to be bought by the V&A for its collection. It was acquired in 1855, when the Museum was still known as the Museum of Manufacturers and based at Marlborough House in Pall Mall, before it became the South Kensington Museum.

The spice box had been owned by a private collector and was sold at Christie's as a Christian reliquary. Only later was it found be a 13th-century Spanish spice box, so rare that there are scarcely any others to compare it with. The Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 and as a result little Judaica survives from this early period.

Spice boxes are used for a service at the end of the Sabbath called Havdalah, meaning 'separation'. The spices represent the richness of the Sabbath. Their scent enlivens the spirit and carries the soul through into the next Sabbath, which starts at dusk on Friday evening. A twisted candle is also lit during the Havdalah service, and sweet wine is drunk.

Since spices were dried in towers in medieval times, the boxes often take the form of a tower. This one, with its Moorish keyhole arches, is Spanish in style, but others may be German.

At some point in its history the spice box was made smaller. Most spice boxes have a bulbous knop and a stem, but here the stem has been cut off and the tower placed directly on the knop. The lid opens from the top and has a little hook. The box is made from copper gilt, which is a poor quality material in comparison to the silver that was usually used for spice boxes.

Hanukkah lamps

The Jewish festival of Hanukkah or Festival of Lights is a winter festival that lasts eight days. Each night an extra flame is lit on the Hanukkah lamp.

The name Hanukkah means 'dedication', and the festival celebrates Judas Maccabeus's rebellion against the Syrian conquerors of Israel and the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.

Under Syrian rule, the Jews had been persecuted for practising their faith and the Temple desecrated. When the Jews finally reclaimed the Temple in 165 BC, they found that the everlasting lamp had been extinguished and pigs had been sacrificed at the altar.

They managed to retrieve some oil, but thought it would last only one day, which was not long enough for them to get more oil and keep the lamp going. Then a miracle happened. The oil lasted for eight days, which gave them enough time.

Hanukkah is a time when Jews rededicate themselves to God and the light of God revives their spirits once again.

Hanukkah lamps vary from region to region and also reflect prevailing artistic styles. In the V&A collection there is one with a Moorish design, several in Italian Renaissance styles, some in traditional Polish folk styles, and an English one that is Rococo in style.

The early Hanukkah lamps looked like Roman oil lamps but with eight separate sections. The first triangular lamps date from the medieval period. This 19th-century lamp is actually a copy of a 14th-century one.

The decoration is interesting because it combines Christian and Moorish (Muslim) motifs. The rose window resembles ones in medieval cathedrals but the row of keyhole arches is typically Moorish. There are eight lamps and an additional section at the side for the 'shamash' that was used to light the other lamps.

Originally, lamps like this would have been hung outside but later on, during times of persecution, they were kept inside the home and were sometimes freestanding. The Italian lamps in the V&A collection were all meant to be hung from a wall. They are very elaborate, with eight rows of columns for oil, and backplates decorated with classical and Renaissance imagery. Some of the Polish lamps also have two candleholders for Sabbath lamps.

The traditional menorah shape that is the seven-branched candlestick that was in the Temple in Jerusalem, is 19th century design, as is the nine-branched menorah with its eight Hanukkah lights plus the shamash.

The English Hanukkah lamp in the collection has a little bucket underneath to catch the drips of oil. It was made by a London silversmith called Jacob Marsh for a family from Gibraltar and was donated to the Museum by a descendant of the original owner. The decoration, with its scrolls and shells, is typical of the Rococo style that was fashionable in the mid 18th century.

Purim plate

The Jewish festival of Purim commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination through the courage of a young woman called Esther. The festival is celebrated by the reading of the book of Esther.

It is a time of merriment and also of charity, when Jews are commanded to give money to the poor. Special Purim plates were used for collecting the money, either in a synagogue or by individuals. The imagery on this plate depicts some elements from the story of Esther as described in the Bible.

Esther was married to the King of Persia, but he did not know she was Jewish. Haman, the king's chief advisor, was planning to massacre the Jewish people because they did not show him sufficient respect. At the same time, Esther's uncle Mordecai had discovered a plot to kill the king.

Mordecai asked for a reward, so the king called Haman to find out how he would praise someone who had done him some great good. Haman, thinking that the king was referring to himself, said, 'I would lead him through the streets in glory and have everyone respect him.' So the king told him to do that to the Jew Mordecai and Haman had to lead Mordecai, dressed in the king's robes, through the streets from the palace.

Esther meanwhile approached the king (to do so uncalled was punishable by death) and told him of Haman's plot to have the Jews all killed. Unfortunately the king had already agreed to let this happen, not knowing that his beloved wife was Jewish, but he allowed the Jews to fight back and they won. Haman had been making gallows for execution of the Jews, but in the end, he himself was hung from the same gallows, along with his wife and ten sons.

The Purim plate shows the king's palace, Mordecai being led on a horseback through the streets, and Haman and his family hanging from the gallows. The inscriptions include one in Hebrew with the words from the Bible 'and of sending portions one to another, and gifts to the poor' (Esther 9:22). The others are in Yiddish and record the names of Esther and the king (Ahasuerus, also known as Xerxes), along with the owners of the plate, Lieb of Gelbach and his wife Pessele Auerbach, who lived in Rome.

The plate is made of silvered pewter, which makes it look more expensive than a pewter plate.

Seder plate

This large pewter plate was made in Germany in 1771 for the festival of Passover or Pesach. It was used during the Seder, the special meal at which Jewish families celebrate the festival of Passover. During the Seder, parents teach their children about the Jewish exodus from Egypt, when Moses led the children of Israel out of slavery. The decoration on the plate includes motifs that recall this important historical event, as well as others that are linked to the Passover service and Jewish folklore.

This decoration is dense and elaborate, but rather primitive as if the engraver were not sophisticated or experienced. In the centre there is a lamb. This represents the lamb that was sacrificed at the first Passover, on the eve of the Jewish exodus from Egypt. It is in a circle, surrounded by an eight-pointed star that has been cross-hatched so as to appear three-dimensional.

Surrounding the star there are many images. At the top are two deer, often represented in Jewish art because their rapid movements symbolise the spreading of the word of God. On either side are two young men who represent those described in the book of the Passover service or the Haggadah. Top left is the Wicked Son, holding a spear and about to rush into battle.

Top right is the Wise Son with a long coat and a staff. Below are the Wicked Son, on the left, who is too young to ask questions, and the Simple Son, on the right, who does not know what questions to ask. Below the star there is a stork eating eels. This image may symbolise the respect that children owe to their parents.

Around the inner curve of the plate, there are various inscriptions. The outer ones in large writing are in Hebrew, while the inner ones are in Yiddish (Judeo-German) and explain that the plate was made for the couple who commissioned it.

On the outer rim of the plate there are illustrations of a song that is sung near the end of the Seder called One Kid for Two Zuzim. Zuzim is an ancient currency, and the story starts with an old man counting out his money to decide whether he should sell his goat. The goat is chased by a cat, which is in turn chased by a dog, which is then hit by a stick. The stick is burnt in the fire, the fire is put out by water from a well, and then the goat (the kid) is about to be slaughtered. But the Angel of the Lord puts his hand out and stops it being slaughtered.