Copper Ablution Ewer and Basin from the Maghreb

This ritual ablution set, consisting of a two-handled ewer and its basin, is used for the washing of hands prescribed before a meal (over bread), upon waking, and before prayer — a frequent gesture of purification in Jewish life. The two handles allow the pitcher to be grasped alternately in each hand for pouring water. In North Africa, these copper pieces are hammered and engraved with geometric motifs, in a work of dinanderie common to Jewish and Muslim craftsmen alike. An object on the boundary between domestic utensil and ritual instrument, it testifies to the place of ritual hand-purity in the daily life of Maghrebi Jews.