Torah Ark Curtain

Wife of Menahem Levi Meshullami Simḥah

1680/1

Cloth with embroidered image of tablets in clouds above mountain and city.

This Torah ark curtain from Venice was made by Simḥah, the wife of Menachem Levi Meshuallami, a member of a prominent family in the Venice ghetto. It is embroidered in silk and silk-metallic thread and is edged with a metallic fringe. It is remarkable for the intricacy of its finely ornate gold vines, set against a brilliant backdrop of lavender, running along its border and surrounding a central panel. This central panel depicts a detailed map of Jerusalem, above which sits a mountain, the tablets of the Covenant, and a group of clouds above them. These decorative motifs would have been typical of many textiles created by women of the congregation and used in the synagogue, such as for Torah binders. They are also representative of the Baroque style. A Hebrew inscription cites the name of its creator.

Credits

Gift of Professor Neppi Modona, Florence, through Dr. Harry G. Friedman / The Jewish Museum, New York.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

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Creator Bio

Wife of Menahem Levi Meshullami Simḥah

This Torah ark curtain from Venice is embroidered in silk and silk-metallic thread and is edged with a metallic fringe. It is remarkable for the intricacy of its finely ornate gold vines, set against a brilliant backdrop of lavender, running along its border and surrounding a central panel. This central panel depicts a detailed map of Jerusalem, above which sits a mountain, the tablets of the Covenant, and a group of clouds above them. These decorative motifs would have been typical of many textiles created by women of the congregation and used in the synagogue, such as for Torah binders. They are also representative of the Baroque style. A Hebrew inscription cites the name of its creator.

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