An Important Decorative Synagogue Textile; [Verona, Italy: late 17th century]

Cream colored silk (9 x 116 in.;  23 × 295 cm.), richly embroidered with colored silk, and silver and gold metallic wrapped threads, utilizing satin stitch, couching, French knots and metallic thread rapport embroidery; trimmed on all sides with gold metallic floral brocade ribbon; a four inch gilt fringe along entirety of lower edge. In exceptionally fine condition with only occasional minor instances of wear.

Susan Nashman-Fraiman, “ ‘The Fruit of Her Hands’: Original Iconography on a Parokhet from Verona” (Hebrew), in Timorah: Articles on Jewish Art, (Ramat-Gan, 2006), pp. 73–80.

Susan Nashman-Fraiman, "Beyond the Parochet, Three Italian Torah Ark Curtains, Their Makers and Their Meaning", Master's Thesis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998.

Norman Kleeblatt and Vivian Mann. Treasures of The Jewish Museum. New York: 1986 pp. 72-73, (museum object # (F3432).

Bracha Yaniv, “'This is the Table that Stands before the Lord:' On the Synagogue Bimah or Teivah  Cover” The Review of Rabbinic Judaism 14 (2011) pp.208–220.

Michael E Keen, Jewish Ritual Art in the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1991 pp. 26-27, (museum object # 511-1877).

Jennifer Wearden, "Beauty Enhances Ritual: two Italian 17th century embroidered synagogue textiles" in Proceedings of The Textile Society of America 1996 Symposium, 1997 pp. 156-164.

This elaborately embroidered textile comprises sixteen lavishly executed medallions, each surrounded by lush floral images including highly detailed representations of tulips, daffodils, bluebells, carnations, strawberries, pomegranates, grapes, pears and stalks of wheat. Within each medallion is an image corresponding to a particular event on the Jewish liturgical calendar surmounted by a banderole bearing an identifying Hebrew title. Eight of the medallions contain images which represent Jewish holidays, while the images in the other eight medallions correspond to particular Sabbaths on which special Torah and Haftorah portions are read. The illustrations emphasize a significant aspect of the particular liturgical reading for the day, relating either to the biblical texts themselves, as well as to associated midrashim and rabbinical commentaries.

The images within the medallions represent the following festivals, holidays, and special Sabbaths:
1. Passover - A hand holding a matzah (see Exodus 12:15)
2. Shavuot – A basket of bikkurim, the first fruits brought to the Temple in Jerusalem) (see Numbers 28:26)
3. Sukkot- The “four species” (see Leviticus 23:40)
4. Rosh Hashanah – a shofar (ram’s horn) (see Numbers 29:1)
5. Yom ha-Kippur – A strip of scarlet-dyed wool tied to the Temple door, which turned white at the instant of atonement. (see Mishnah Moed 6:8)
6. Simhat Torah – A festive table. Simhat Torah marks the completion of the annual Torah cycle.
7. Shabbat Shekalim – A hand points to a silver shekel coin embroidered with the Hebrew words “Mahatzit ha-Shekel”, commemorating the assessment of a special Temple upkeep fund (see Exodus 30:11-16 and Pirkei de-Rabi Eliezer 48:79) 
8. Shabbat Zakhor –An image of a three-legged chair signifying the incompleteness of God's throne, commemorating the commandment to remember the treachery of Amalek. (see Rashi on Exodus 17: 16) 
9. Shabbat Parah –a bundle of hyssop, used in the purification ritual of the Red Heifer. (see Numbers 19:18) 
10. Shabbat ha-Hodesh - A hand pointing to a crescent moon commemorating the establishment of the Hebrew lunar calendar (see Exodus 12:2 and Rashi there).  
11. Hanukkah – An image of a menorah (see Exodus 7:84)
12. Purim – An image of an Esther scroll on a table (See Esther 9:26)
13. Shabbat Hol ha-Moed Pesah – Vision of the dry bones (see Ezekiel 37:1-17)
14. Shabbat Hol ha-Moed Sukkot – An image of the Mount of Olives cleft in two (see Kimhi on Ezekiel 38:20; also see Zechariah 14:4)
15. Shabbat ha-Gadol – A lamb tied to a bedpost, reminiscent of the Paschal lamb taken into the homes of the Israelites in Egypt. (see Pesikta de Rav Kahana 5:17, on Exodus 12:3) 
16. Shabbat Nahamu – An image of the rebuilt Temple for the “Sabbath of Consolation,” which follows the Ninth day of Av (see Isaiah 40:1-2)

Based on the specific imagery of its decorative program, as well as on its particular physical dimensions and characteristics, it is clear that the present lot would have adorned a part of the synagogue associated with the reading of such texts, namely the readers’ table.

The present lot belongs to a group of splendid Italian synagogue textiles created in the second half of the seventeenth century which all share this unusual and highly sophisticated decorative scheme. The group includes three Torah ark curtains, which also feature remarkably similar medallions illustrating Jewish holidays and special Sabbaths. Scholars have demonstrated conclusively that all three of the Torah curtains are of Veronese origin. The earliest, now in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London was dedicated in 1676; the second, now in the Jewish Museum, New York was dedicated in 1698; and the third, in the collection of the Jewish Museum of Florence is undated though scholars believe that is too was fashioned in the late 17th century. We may therefore, confidently date and localize the creation of the present textile to the same time and place: Verona, in the last quarter of the 17th century.

The Jewish community of Verona was re-established at the beginning of the 16th century by German Jews, who were joined in 1638 by Sephardi Jews from Venice.  Initially, these two groups formed separate communities but they eventually set up a common organization and in 1675 the German and Italian Jews came together to build a synagogue. It is likely that the earliest of the Torah Ark curtains mentioned above (dedicated 1676), was created for this newly constructed Baroque synagogue.

The creation of synagogue textiles in Italy was typically undertaken by the women of the local Jewish community. Although the present textile does not bear its creator’s name, we may safely assume that it was created by a woman who was a member of the wealthy Castelfranco family. Embroidered at the opening of the textile is a family emblem, a cartouche containing a fish surmounted by a crown. The Castelfrancos were a prominent Italian Jewish family of German origin who lived in the Veneto region.

Sotheby's is grateful to Dr. Vivian Mann and Dr. Susan Nashman-Fraiman for providing information that assisted with the cataloging of this lot.

 

LITERATURE:
Susan Nashman-Fraiman, “ ‘The Fruit of Her Hands’: Original Iconography on a Parokhet from Verona” (Hebrew), in Timorah: Articles on Jewish Art, (Ramat-Gan, 2006), pp. 73–80.
Susan Nashman-Fraiman, "Beyond the Parochet, Three Italian Torah Ark Curtains, Their Makers and Their Meaning", Master's Thesis, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998.
Norman Kleeblatt and Vivian Mann. Treasures of The Jewish Museum. New York: 1986 pp. 72-73, (museum object # F3432).
Bracha Yaniv, “'This is the Table that Stands before the Lord:' On the Synagogue Bimah or Teivah  Cover” The Review of Rabbinic Judaism 14 (2011) pp.208–220.
Michael E Keen, Jewish Ritual Art in the Victoria and Albert Museum, 1991 pp. 26-27, (museum object # 511-1877).
Jennifer Wearden, "Beauty Enhances Ritual: two Italian 17th century embroidered synagogue textiles" in Proceedings of The Textile Society of America 1996 Symposium, 1997 pp. 156-164.