Antique late 19th to early 20th-century Sephardic North African silver Yad (Torah Pointer) featuring traditional regional silversmithing and hand-chased decorative work.
Book Title: 3,000 Years of Judaica: A Guide to Jewish Art and Antiques
Author: Jay Weinstein
Page Reference: Pages 178–184 (Section on Sephardic and North African Torah Pointers, detailing flat spatulate forms, hand-chased floral arabesque motifs, and regional unhallmarked silver Assessment
Tooling & Engraving: The foliate arabesque pattern on the front is hand-punched and chased with steel gravers rather than modern machine-etched or cast-in decoration. Microscopic variations in punch depth and line execution confirm manual hand work.
Construction & Surface Finish: The piece is built from hand-hammered flat silver stock with hand-soldered terminal fittings and a cast hand tip. The recent gentle polishing on the reverse reveals authentic hand-forging chatter lines beneath the bright surface, while the front retains undisturbed period oxidation in all low-relief channels.
Regional Hallmark Absence: Prior to standardized European assay codes, North African silver guild pieces were frequently unhallmarked or struck with local maker punches, strongly consistent with regional Morocco/Tunisia provenance.
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