Levite silver ewer

This ritual ewer is associated with the function of the Levites, who are charged, in the liturgy, with pouring water over the hands of the Cohanim (descendants of Aaron) before the latter pronounce the priestly blessing (Birkat Cohanim). It belongs to the realm of synagogue silverware and the domestic use of Levitical families. Central European examples, in repoussé and engraved silver, often bear as decoration the motif of a pitcher and raised hands in the gesture of blessing, hereditary emblems of the lineage also found on tombstones. Their form follows that of secular silverware ewers, adapted to a specific ritual use.