Torah Ark Curtain (Prague)
Temerl bat Hirsch Perlhefter
1685/6
Made in Prague, this Torah ark curtain is exquisitely ornamented with embroidery of silk, silk velvet, and metallic thread. Set against a vivid red background, its borders and central panel are decorated with elaborate designs. The Hebrew inscription announces that the curtain was the gift of Yitsḥak Kohen Popers, son of the cantor Lipman Popers and his wife Temerl, daughter of Hirsch Perlhefter, to celebrate “the work of her hands.”
Credits
With permission of the Jewish Museum in Prague.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
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Creator Bio
Temerl bat Hirsch Perlhefter
17th Century
Temerl, wife of Yitsḥak Kohen Popers and daughter of Hirsch Perlhefter, was an embroiderer. The Popers (Poppers) and Perlhefters were prominent families in the Jewish community of Prague.
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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