Seder tefilot

Seder tefilot: mi-kol ha-shanah ke-minhag ha-Ashkenazim (Order of Prayers for the Whole Year According to the Ashkenazi Rite)

Mantua: Efrayim mi-Padovah ṿe-Ya’aḳov b.R. Naftali ha-Kohen, 1558

This fine mid-16th century Hebrew prayer book of the Ashkenazi tradition was published in Mantua, Italy, by the Christian printer Venturino Ruffinelli. The book is elegantly embellished with an elaborate silver binding and most likely was intended to be a luxury wedding gift. Although the book was published in the 16th century, the elegant binding was likely made in Italy in approximately the 18th century using the repoussé technique, which involves hammering the silver surface from the reverse side. The binding is adorned with decorative floral and shell elements, as well as with the coats of arms of the bride and groom’s families, attesting to their affluence and aristocratic origin. The adoption of the coat of arms by the Italian Jews followed in the tradition of the Italian nobility and symbolized their integration into Italian society. 

The emblem in the center represents the Italian Jewish family with the surname Askenazi pointing to its Central European, likely German, origin. It features two fish positioned horizontally and looking in opposite directions, with a crown placed above them. In Jewish tradition, fish symbolize fertility and good luck. The back cover (not shown) displays a coat of arms of either the Polacco or the Sanguinetti family. It shows two lions leaning against a tree. The adoption of the coat of arms by the italian Jews was the expansion of the tradition of the Italian nobility.

The custom of exchange of gifts, called silvonot, was common between wealthy Jewish families in Italy. It was a way to strengthen the bonds between the families and involved specific timing in the long sequence of events leading to the wedding. The values of the gifts increased as the date of the ceremony drew closer.