Bessamim in the form of a German tower

The spice box (bessamim) intervenes in the Havdala ceremony, which closes Shabbat and separates it from weekday work: one breathes in the aromatics, with a blessing over scents, at the moment when rest leaves the faithful. The tower form is the most characteristic of Ashkenazi silverwork; it evokes a medieval watchtower with cylindrical or polygonal body, spire, flag and bells, with a door or shutter opening the receptacle. Worked in repousse, filigree or openwork silver, these towers constitute one of the oldest types of Jewish ritual objects preserved, whose production dates back at least to the 16th century in the silversmithing centers of Germany.