North African engraved copper shiviti plaque

The shiviti plaque takes its name from the verse 'I have set (shiviti) the Lord always before me' (Psalm 16), inscribed at the head of these meditative tablets placed before the officiant or on the wall of the synagogue to focus concentration during prayer. It frequently bears the Divine Name and verses, and often incorporates a seven-branched menorah formed from the text of Psalm 67 written in micrography. In North Africa, these plaques are engraved on copper, in a craft that combines calligraphy and the art of inscription. This object belongs at once to the realms of devotion, the mysticism of letters, and synagogal ornamentation.