Torah Ark Curtain

Artist Unknown

ca. 1735

Cloth embroidered with columns on either side and building in the middle with turrets and dome, with small Hebrew inscription above.

The embroidered structure in the center of this silk Torah ark curtain is thought to be a loose representation of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, with its six minarets and entryway stairs. A somewhat roughly written Hebrew dedication is wedged above the mosque and between the flanking column; the contrast between this inscription and the otherwise rich, masterful embroidery has led scholars to speculate that this curtain was created for use by Muslims and was only subsequently repurposed for the synagogue.

Credits

The H. Ephraim and Mordecai Benguiat Family Collection / The Jewish Museum, New York.

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

Engage with this Source

You may also like

Photograph of building exterior with curved windows and gated courtyard to left.
Tooltip info icon

Kupa Synagogue (Kraków)

The ceiling and wall paintings in the baroque-style Kupa Synagogue in Kraków, which dates from 1643, were damaged during World War II and in a pogrom that occurred in August 1945 immediately following…
View Source
Photograph of ballerina on pointe wearing tutu.
Tooltip info icon

Anna Pavlova as the Dying Swan

Anna Pavlova (1881–1931) in costume for the solo dance The Dying Swan, a role especially created for her, and which she performed an estimated four thousand times. Born in St. Petersburg and brought…
View Source