Kiddush (sanctification) cup with lid and saucer c. 1920

Curator: This is a Kiddush cup with lid and saucer, crafted around 1920. It's currently held in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It is made out of silver. Editor: It has a sort of quiet luminescence. The symmetry, coupled with the matte silver, creates this feeling of dignified restraint, wouldn't you say? Curator: Absolutely. Let's examine its formal elements. The cup, a slightly flared cylinder, rests on a delicately scalloped saucer, the lid conical and topped with a stylized bird—its diminutive size counterbalances the cup's larger volume, a visual contrast of note. What might this avian symbol signify? Editor: Oh, birds in Jewish tradition have so many associations. Renewal, freedom, divine messengers... given its position atop the lid, maybe it represents prayers ascending, or the soul's journey? The flora etched on the body of the cup itself only lends itself to the theme. Curator: Interesting thought. Note also how the artist manipulates the texture, contrasting smooth planes with subtle hammered surfaces, particularly noticeable around the base of the cup and on the bird figurine. It breaks the potential monotony, it seems to me. Editor: Yes, the haptic quality is important! Consider also the object's purpose: used in the Kiddush ceremony to sanctify the Sabbath or festivals. Wine, representing joy and celebration, is poured into this vessel, a ritual moment heightened by the beauty of the silver and the implied symbolism. It brings ritual to the forefront of perception. Curator: The stylized plant motifs suggest an Art Deco influence, aligning with the period it was made, the lines precise yet softened, creating rhythm on the smooth silver surface. What does this marriage of material, shape, and symbol suggest in your eyes? Editor: I think it’s a visual prayer. The elegance reflects the hope for beauty in the world, while its very presence transforms the mundane act of drinking into something transcendent. Curator: I agree; seeing the artist’s manipulation of geometric precision and free-flowing natural form I must agree that this object is something to reflect upon. Editor: Indeed, something deeply symbolic emerges when formalism meets iconography; thank you.