Got $350,000 To Spare? This Judaica Auction Is Just the Place For You!
Image by Courtesy of Sotheby’s
Looking to buy a killer Hanukkah gift? Well, if you have extremely deep pockets, this upcoming Sotheby’s auction might be for you.
On December 15th, international auction house Sotheby’s will auction off 288 pieces of Judaica from around the world dating from between the 17th and 20th centuries. The auction will feature metalwork, textiles, and paintings, and books and manuscripts. The estimated prices range from $1000 to $350,000, with a German hanging sabbath lamp from the mid 18th century coming in at the top of the estimates list. A large number of the objects come from the estate of Shlomo Moussaieff, a recently deceased jeweler and renowned collector of Judaica.
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Of particular interest are 16 pieces of American Judaica, including the first Jewish prayer book printed in the United States in New York (1761). According to Sotheby’s press team, the book is not only the first of its kind printed in the United States, but is also the first English translation of the “evening liturgy for the High Holy Days.” There are only three known copies of the book, and this is the only one to have ever gone up for sale.
The two sessions of the auction will take place on December 15th at 10:00 am and 12:30pm. The objects can be seen before the auction on the 13th and 14th between 10:00am and 5:00pm at the Sotheby’s Auction House at 1334 York Ave, New York.
Jake Romm is the Forward’s culture intern. Contact him at [email protected] or on Twitter, @JakeRomm
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