Pair of carved wood Torah staves. [Southern Italy]. 1809. 96 cm.
The handles of the staves are ornamented. A long and detailed inscription is engraved along the circumference of the handles:
“I, the young Joseph Eliyahu son of Yishai Pesach purchased this Torah scroll with funds from my wife Mazal Tov, daughter of R. Yeshaya Almansi’s dowry, today, the eve of Rosh Hashanah 5570…” We know of the existence of this family from a pamphlet of poetic liturgy printed in 1785 to be recited on Simchat Torah night, “according to the custom of the great synagogue of the wealthy Almansi family in Scandiano, ” a town near Reggio.
The staves have undergone professional restoration.
