Nineteenth century American, turned (carved?) wood, torah pointer

[New England?], Last half of 19th century. As made.. Very good; wanting(?) two small decorative insets at the hand where, what appear to be, filled placement sockets are visible.. Wood (Elm?) with 5 onlaid (tacked) panbone plaques and a fitted coin silver collar (appx. 15 mm. long) with applied "chain link" design to secure the tip of the pointer. The pointer is appx. 230 mm. long and appx. 23 mm. at its greatest diameter.


Rare. An American Torah pointer made in New England (? - given the whalebone plaque onlays) some time in the last half of the 19th century. The plain turned body (somewhat eccentric) and off-center inset plain "button" and plaque decoration indicates an untrained craftsman but with facility with, and access to, panbone (flat pieces of whalebone from a rear jawbone extension of a sperm whale cut as sections and polished). The five plaques are fitted along the longitudinal axis (they each meas. appx. 175 x 10 x 2 mm.) secured by small brass tacks that are skillfully applied.