Torah Cover (?)
Artist Unknown
ca. 1600
This intricately decorated textile, possibly used as a Torah cover, was produced in Prague around 1600. Four squares adorn its center, the top two containing vases ringed by flowers and vines and the bottom two adorned with additional plants encircled by banners containing Hebrew inscriptions. Additional vines and flowers in subdued shades of greens, blues, and reds stretch their delicate tendrils, spreading across, above, and below the textile’s central four squares.
Credits
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Morris L. Cohen / The Jewish Museum, New York.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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Related Guide
Early Modern Visual and Material Culture
1500–1750
Early modern Jewish visual culture flourished, with illuminated manuscripts, ornate synagogues, and portraiture alongside increasing non-Jewish interest in Jewish customs and greater Jewish self-representation.
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