Gravestone with Levitic Hands (Ewer) from Europe

This tombstone belongs to the tradition of Ashkenazi cemeteries, where the emblem sculpted in relief on the stele often indicates the function or lineage of the deceased. Here, the ewer and basin (sometimes a single pitcher) designate membership in the tribe of Levi: as Levites were charged with pouring water on the hands of the Cohanim before the priestly blessing, this hereditary attribute identifies them. Other common funerary symbols are the raised hands of the Cohanim or the crown. Carved in stone, these emblems constitute an iconographic language proper to Jewish cemeteries in Europe, allowing one to read the religious and social identity of the deceased.