QIANLONG PERIOD, CIRCA 1785

A large dinner service, including a pair of salts similar to the present lot, was sold in our New York rooms, 21 January 2009, lot 141. The very informative footnote to the service explains that the Priestly Blessing, also known as Aaronic or Cohenic Blessing, was one of the oldest and best-known Judaic rituals originally used in temple services, later becoming part of the public synagogue service, and now used in both Protestant services and the Catholic liturgy. The dinner service was probably made for a wealthy Dutch or Portuguese Jewish family. Other related pieces are in the Stieglitz Collection (see B. Chaya, The Stieglitz Collection of Masterpieces of Jewish Art, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 1987, p. 354), and in the collection of the Jewish Museum of London (see R. D. Barnett, ed., Catalogue, London, 1974, p. 138).