Torah Mantle

Artist Unknown

1722/3

Cloth with fringe on bottom, Hebrew text on top and middle, and border of foliage.
This Torah mantle was made in Vienna in the eighteenth century. It is embroidered with silk and metallic thread, metallic ribbon, and has metallic fringes. Set against a red background, this mantle’s gold-toned flourishes flank a central inscription and feature vines, fruit, flowers, and a pitcher, a symbolic abundance pointing to the wealth of knowledge contained within the Torah. Within the central panel’s Hebrew text are references to the woman who donated it, Blümle, and to her father, Ḥayim Sinzheim of Vienna, a court Jew engaged in finance, diplomacy, and international trade.

Credits

Gift of Rose Weinfeld / The Jewish Museum, New York.

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

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