Sotheby’s expects 18th century Judaica to reach £120,000 at auction

An 18th century embroidered Torah ark curtain is part of “the most important collection of Judaica to come to market in a decade”. 

A Sotheby’s auction on 15 December features items collected over nearly five decades by the late Abraham Halperin. who began collecting items in the 1970s and continued for almost 50 years.

The so-called Halpern Collection includes silver objects, textiles, books and manuscripts and German silver-gilt Torah shield by Munich silversmith Georg Zeiller, expected to reach around £120,000.

The Torah ark curtain, dating back to 18th century eastern Europe, is estimated to go for more than £40,000.

Sotheby’s in New York describes the collection as the “finest group of Judaic textiles ever to appear at auction” and says it is extremely proud to offer it for “not only its obvious scale and distinguished pedigree, but to educate the wider public on the encyclopedic survey and journey of Jewish art, tradition, and culture.”