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Hassidic Judaism is a movement that emphasizes religious piety, passionate religious expression and devotion, and originated in 18th century Medzhybizh (today's Ukraine). \n\nCentral to Jewish observance is the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible. The scroll on which the Torah is written is wound on rollers called 'Trees of Life' (<i>'Atzei Hayyim'</i>). It is customary to decorate the rollers with either a crown or a pair of rimmonim. The crown symbolises majesty and the law of Torah. The rimmonim evoke the bells worn on the high priest's robe as described in the Book of Exodus. \r\n\r\nArthur Gilbert's family, the Bernsteins, were successful Jewish immigrants, who had moved to London from Poland in the 1890s. While Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert were active members of the Jewish communities in London and later Los Angeles, neither claimed to be religiously observant. The couple did not collect Jewish ritual objects but they made an exception for this gold crown due to its rarity and undeniable quality: this is one of only two gold Torah Crown recorded. \r\n\r\nSir Arthur Gilbert and his wife Rosalinde formed one of the world's great decorative art collections, including silver, mosaics, enamelled portrait miniatures and gold boxes.  Arthur Gilbert donated his extraordinary collection to Britain in 1996.","physicalDescription":"","artistMakerPerson":[],"artistMakerOrganisations":[],"artistMakerPeople":[],"materials":[],"techniques":[],"materialsAndTechniques":"","categories":[{"text":"Metalwork","id":"THES48920"},{"text":"Religion","id":"THES48900"},{"text":"Judaism","id":"THES48929"}],"styles":[],"collectionCode":{"text":"MET","id":"THES48599"},"images":["2026PM7749","2026PM7748","2026PM7747","2026PM7746","2026PM7745","2026PM7752","2026PM7750","2026PM7753","2026PM8034","2026PM8007","2026PM7751","2009CA2670","2009CA2669","2016JJ0009","2016JJ0010","2009CA2659","2016JJ0016"],"imageResolution":"high","galleryLocations":[{"current":{"text":"70B","id":"THES413996"},"free":"","case":"CA005","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"010","id":"THES410184"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""},{"current":{"text":"010","id":"THES410184"},"free":"","case":"","shelf":"","box":""}],"partTypes":[[{"text":"crown","id":""}],[{"text":"case","id":""}],[{"text":"case","id":""}]],"contentWarnings":[{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""},{"apprise":"","note":""}],"placesOfOrigin":[],"productionDates":[],"associatedObjects":[],"creditLine":"The Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Collection on loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum London","dimensions":[{"dimension":"Height","value":"18.2","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Width","value":"12.5","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"7.8","unit":"cm","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"Base","note":""},{"dimension":"Weight","value":"340","unit":"g","qualifier":"","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""},{"dimension":"Diameter","value":"13","unit":"cm","qualifier":"[largest section]","date":{"text":"","earliest":null,"latest":null},"part":"","note":""}],"dimensionsNote":"Measured 15/01/24 AT","marksAndInscriptions":[],"objectHistory":"Provenance: By tradition Rabbi Israel Freidman (1797-1850), Ruzhin, Imperial Russia (present Ukraine), and later Sadgora, Austro-Hungary (present Ukraine); thence by descent; Sotheby's, New York, 16 March 1999, lot 327.","historicalContext":"","briefDescription":"Gold and silver Torah crown, with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, and turquoises, Vienna, ca. 1825.","bibliographicReferences":[{"reference":{"text":"","id":""},"details":"","free":"<u>Dazzling Desire. How human desires manifest themselves as diamonds</u>. Catalogue of the exhibition at MAS I Museum aan de Stroom, Antwerp, 18 October 2017 to 14 January 2018. Antwerp: MAS Books, 2017. ISBN 9789085867531"}],"production":"Ex cat.","productionType":{"text":"","id":""},"contentDescription":"","contentPlaces":[],"associatedPlaces":[],"contentPerson":[],"associatedPerson":[],"contentOrganisations":[],"associatedOrganisations":[],"contentPeople":[],"associatedPeople":[],"contentEvents":[],"associatedEvents":[],"contentOthers":[],"contentConcepts":[],"contentLiteraryRefs":[],"galleryLabels":[],"partNumbers":["LOAN:GILBERT.68:1-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.68:2/1-2008","LOAN:GILBERT.68:2/2-2008"],"accessionNumberNum":"68","accessionNumberPrefix":"LOAN:GILBERT","accessionYear":2008,"otherNumbers":[{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"SG 348"},{"type":{"text":"Arthur Gilbert Number","id":"THES50383"},"number":"SG 322"},{"type":{"text":"The Gilbert Collection, Somerset House","id":"THES50384"},"number":"1999.25"}],"copyNumber":"","aspects":["WHOLE","crown","case"],"assets":["2018LC0266","2019LP5877","2019LU8140","2019LW2858"],"recordModificationDate":"2026-04-01","recordCreationDate":"2008-06-26","availableToBook":false}}