Showing Results 141 - 150 of 166
This Torah binder, made for boys at birth and later brought by young men as a symbol of participation in the synagogue, illustrates the fixed nature of traditional gender expectations.
This Torah curtain was made in Ankara, Turkey. The motifs of a central menorah and hands making the priestly blessing were common in other Ottoman Jewish ritual folk art. Embroidered verses from the…
This remarkable illustration is at the same time a shiviti—traditionally, a decorative plaque bearing the verse: “I am ever mindful of the Lord’s presence”—and a topographic map of the land of Israel…
The process of ritual purification of a dead body, known as taharah, involves careful cleaning of the corpse. Prior to being dressed in a white cotton shroud, the body of the deceased is washed, the…
This kiddush cup and wine carafe by the master glass engraver Daniel Henriques de Castro displays his delicate technique, known as stippling. Though it is most common for kiddush cups, used for the…
This silver alms plate was likely used to collect donations in a synagogue. In the center is a boat, meant to represent Noah’s ark, a common image on Jewish alms containers. The Hebrew word for…
This gold, repoussé, punched, and engraved goblet was used for kiddush (the ritual sanctification of the Sabbath over wine) in the home of the Speyers, a prominent and wealthy family in the Jewish…
This Hanukkah lamp from Frankfurt am Main, like the earliest known silver Hanukkah lamps made in Germany, is shaped like a chest and resembles inkwells of the period. This one is relatively…
This beaker was used by the members of a burial society in Prague at their annual banquet, held on the day traditionally designated as the anniversary of Moses’ death. The painted scene depicts a…
This silver beaker is one of two commissioned by the Burial Society of Worms in the eighteenth century. Beakers were used at the ceremony inducting members into the society at its annual banquet…
