Circa 1730 Germany Antique Silver Torah Pointer Jewish Yad German Judaica

Description

10.5 inches long. Silver, with traces of original gilt (gold gilding). Beautiful craftsmanship, with the most elegant placing of a hallmark I've ever seen: a little piece was specifically formed to come out of the ball finial just for the hallmark: one side with "MS" and "N", and the other with a zigzag. The "MS" stands for the German silversmith Matheus Städlein, who worked between 1716 and 1735. The "N" is for the city of Nuremberg. The zigzag line is known as a "Tremolierstich" in German. It was produced when a government assayer removed a bit of silver in order to test the content for purity and is found on fine 17th and 18th century silver from Germany.
What make the price so high is that this maker, Matheus Städlein, has only a few pieces of Judaica known to be made by him. Shown in the Sotheby's photo is a spice tower by him, notice the incredible price result. There is a "catalog note" for that spice tower that details the importance of this maker, here is what it says "Städlein was one of the most important Nuremberg makers of Judaica in the early 18th century. The recent book on Nuremberg goldsmiths work, produced by the Germanisches Nationalmuseum, lists the following works by him: a Havdalah compendium in the Jewish Museum, London, a Hanukah lamp in the Jewish Museum, New York, a Torah crown in the Jewish Museum, Fürth, and a Torah shield formerly in the Steinhardt Collection"
So, this Torah pointer is the only one known by him. An important piece of German Judaica and a true museum piece.
You can find another example of this "MS" hallmark for Matheus Städlein pictured on page 357 of the book "Five Centuries of Hanukkah Lamps from The Jewish Museum : A Catalogue Raisonne".