Late 19th Century Alms Box of the Küfecis Guild of Istanbul

View Similar Items

Late 19th Century English Game Box

Game Box, 19th Century

Late 19th Century Wooden Viennese Pharmacy Containers in the Set of 22 Pieces

19th Century Restauration Snuff Box with Micromosaic

Early 19th Century Neoclassical Automaton Windmill Sewing Box

French Mid-19th Century Lacquered Oak Reliquary Box

19th Century Italian Voting Box Tuscan Confraternity Carved Barrel Ballot Box

A Mid 19th Century Mughal Style Silver Betel Box, Northern India

19th Century Italian Grand Tour Steel Lidded Sarcophagus Box

France Late 18th Century Baroque Silver Box

19th Century Swiss Black Forest Carved Thatched Roof Cottage Box

Antique French 19th Century Jewelry Box Flap Door Miniature Wood Cabinet

About the Item

Silver Alms box, "Holy Society" of the Küfecis guild, [Hasköy], Istanbul, late 19th century. Cylindrical alms box, shaped like a small pitcher, with a concave lid, connected by a hinge, slotted to allow deposit of small change, and with small hook for opening. Handle in shape of twisted branch. Side of box decorated with branches and flowers, and with engraved Hebrew dedicatory inscription, enclosed within three elliptical medallions: "… The Holy society of küfevis [!], Moshe Ya'ish […] Rabbi Shemuel Denan […] Avraham Mailruzado […] and Rabbi Ye'udah Fereira […]". The charity represented by this alms box served members of Küfecis guild, which was probably an organization representing peddlers, possibly fruit and vegetable vendors, who carried their merchandise either in a basket slung over the back, or inside a case on wheels. The Istanbul-based Küfecis guild is mentioned a number of times in a collection of documents originating with the charitable organizations of another guild, specifically the Kaïkçis ("boat owners") guild, which was a parent guild that provided seafaring transportation services to the Jewish guilds that required them. Because the city of Istanbul and its suburbs occupy parts of three distinct regions separated by two broad channels, namely the Golden Horn Estuary and the Bosphorus Strait, their inhabitants were in need of cheap and speedy transport services which were provided by small sea taxis that ferried back and forth from place to place; a boat such as this was known in Turkish as kaïk. On the basis of these documents (dated 1835, 1900, and 1911) – part of the Collection of Prof. Rabbi Meir Benayahu, Jerusalem – it appears that the Küfecis guild was based in Hasköy, formerly a village on the outskirts of Istanbul that was home to a sizable segment of the Jewish community following the Expulsion from Spain, and today a residential quarter of the city. Some of these documents are cited in their entirety in an article (in Hebrew) by Prof. Yaron Ben-Naeh entitled "Charity and Benevolence on the Banks of the Bosphorus". A similar alms box of the "Holy Society of Küfecis" can be found in the Israel Museum Collection, item no. B51.05.0287; see Sephardi Jews in the Ottoman Empire, item no. 38. Reference: Yaron Ben-Naeh, "Charity and Benevolence on the Banks of the Bosphorus: Benevolent Societies of the Kaïkçis in Istanbul" (Hebrew), in: Joseph R. Hacker and Yaron Harel (eds.), "The Scepter Shall Not Depart from Judah: Leadership, Rabbinate, and Community in Jewish History, Studies Presented to Professor Simon Schwarzfuchs," Bialik Institute, Jerusalem, 2011 (Hebrew). Every item in Menorah Galleries is accompanied by a lifetime “Certificate of Authenticity” and additional documentation and information regarding the individual artifact and its culture.

Dimensions:
Height: 4 in (10.16 cm)Diameter: 3.5 in (8.89 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Silver,Cast,Engraved
Place of Origin:
Turkey
Period:
Late 19th Century
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1890
Condition:
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5281226235662

More From This Seller

View All

Early 20th Century Dutch Tin Charity Box

Located in New York, NY

Black, red, and gold painted tin charity box, The Netherlands, circa 1915. Used for collecting funds for the Jewish hospital. Decorated with Stars of ...

Category

Early 20th Century Dutch Decorative Boxes

Materials

Metal

Early 20th Century Dutch Tin Charity Box

$480 Sale Price

20% Off

Late 19th Century Austrian Bronze of a Bearded Jew

Located in New York, NY

Extremely well cast, with very fine details, bronze bust of a bearded Jew, Austria ,circa 1880. The bust is screwed on a marble base, and measures 3.25 inches high, 2.5 inches wide,...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Figurative Sculptures

Materials

Marble, Bronze

Late 19th Century Austrian Bronze of a Bearded Jew

$9,584 Sale Price

20% Off

A Woman's Cloak, Uzbekistan, Late 19th century

Located in New York, NY

A Luxurious Woman's Cloak made in Uzbekistan in the Late 19th century This garment, known as a chyrpy or faranji, is a traditional overgarment worn in public by women in Central Asi...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Uzbek Religious Items

Materials

Cotton, Silk

A Woman's Cloak, Uzbekistan, Late 19th century

$5,200 Sale Price

20% Off

Late 19th Century Iraqi Silver Hanukkah Lamp

Located in New York, NY

Unique silver Hanukkah lamp, Iraq, circa 1880. On four feet, a handmade silver tray with nine candle holders for eight days of Hanukkah, and one for t...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Iraqi Religious Items

Materials

Silver

Late 19th Century Iraqi Silver Hanukkah Lamp

$3,068 Sale Price

20% Off

A German Silver Etrog Container, late 19th century

Located in New York, NY

An Exquisite German Silver Etrog Container made in the late 19th century to early 20th Century. This Etrog Container is shaped in the shape and formed to look like a realistic Etrog...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century German Religious Items

Materials

Silver

A German Silver Etrog Container, late 19th century

$1,320 Sale Price

20% Off

Late 19th Century Austrian Silver Torah Pointer

Located in New York, NY

Handmade silver Torah pointer, Vienna, Austria, circa 1880. Decorated with Guilloche silver work within three rings; on the top, in the middle of the shaft, and next to the finger. Set with the original silver chain. Stamped with Austrian silver hallmarks. Every item in Menorah Galleries...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Austrian Religious Items

Materials

Silver

Late 19th Century Austrian Silver Torah Pointer

$3,676 Sale Price

20% Off

Antique 1890s British Belle Époque Games

Materials

Wood

Late 19th Century English Game Box

$523

Free Shipping

Game Box, 19th Century

Located in Saint-Ouen, FR

Game box, 19th century. Napoleon III period game box, 19th century in precious wood marquetry. Measures: H: 5 cm, W: 22 cm, D: 13 cm.

Category

Antique 19th Century French Napoleon III Decorative Boxes

Materials

Wood

Game Box, 19th Century

$1,513

Late 19th Century Wooden Viennese Pharmacy Containers in the Set of 22 Pieces

Located in Vienna, AT

Wooden Viennese pharmacy containers of the late 19th century, in a set of 22 pieces. The containers with lids are made of boxwood and printed with the names of various spices in ...

Category

Antique Late 19th Century Scientific Instruments

Materials

Boxwood

Late 19th Century Wooden Viennese Pharmacy Containers in the Set of 22 Pieces

$2,907 / set

19th Century Restauration Snuff Box with Micromosaic

Located in Paris, FR

Small rectangular Restauration snuff box crafted in gold. The hinged lid is decorated with an oval micromosaic representing St. Peter's Square in Rome. Micromosaic is set in a gold s...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century French Charles X Tobacco Accessories

Materials

Gold

19th Century Restauration Snuff Box with Micromosaic

$5,350

Early 19th Century Neoclassical Automaton Windmill Sewing Box

Located in Essex, MA

Rare early 19th century working automaton sewing box with hidden compartments for necessaries and sewing implements. Original handmade cloc...

Category

Antique Early 19th Century Dutch Neoclassical Models and Miniatures

Materials

Alabaster

Early 19th Century Neoclassical Automaton Windmill Sewing Box

$9,800

French Mid-19th Century Lacquered Oak Reliquary Box

Located in Milano, MI

French 19th century lacquered rectangular shaped reliquary box, realized in oak, decorated with a dark brown/grey lacquering and a white scrolling and pa...

Category