Torah Pointer (Yad)

The Torah Pointer has a pendant rocaille cartouche that bears the town hallmark, Frankfurt/Main, and the initials of the silversmith Rotger Herfurth (1722-1776). He was the son of a lathe operator for wood and silverware. From 1748 he was registered in the guild as a master craftsman in silverwork. Most of Herfurth’s known work is Judaica, probably commissioned from the Jewish community or Jewish individuals of Frankfurt.

An inscription in Latin letters on the cartouche ascribes the piece probably to a former owner: “A. Jacob”, and dates the acquisition (whether a present or a purchase) to the year 1891 according to the Hebrew calendar but in Arabic numbers. The latter might hint to a usage in a conservative environment.