Galician Shabbat knife and fork with bone handles

This ceremonial cutlery, comprising a knife and sometimes a matching fork, was reserved for the slicing of the two loaves (hallot) over which the blessing is recited at the Shabbat and festival meal. Both a utilitarian and a ceremonial object, it marked the dignity of the holy meal. Galician examples frequently feature a handle of incised bone or mother-of-pearl, engraved in Hebrew with a blessing or the mention of the holy day, sometimes with floral motifs or a star. This type illustrates the attention paid, in the Judaism of Central and Eastern Europe, to the enhancement of the objects of the Shabbat table.