Silver Kiddush cup in Bezalel style

This Kiddush cup, a goblet used for the blessing of wine on Shabbat and the festivals, was crafted in the style of the Bezalel workshops in Jerusalem at the dawn of cultural Zionism. The Kiddush, the sanctification of the holy day pronounced over a cup of wine, is a central rite of the Jewish family table, and the cup used for it receives particular aesthetic attention. The Bezalel-style decoration combines filigree, palm tree and vine motifs, and Hebrew inscriptions, in the pursuit of a renewed national aesthetic. This object unites traditional liturgical function with the expression of the artistic renewal of the modern Land of Israel.