Torah Ark Curtain
Once a vassal to Genoa, by 1700 the Aegean island of Chios was a trade hub of the Ottoman Empire, hosting Italian, Armenian, Jewish, and Turkish merchants. Combining Italian silk-weaving know-how with design motifs gleaned from a host of artistic sources – mihrabs from Turkish prayer rugs, Safavid ceramic shapes and colors, florals from Indian chintz and Persian weavings – Chian weavers established a niche market for their distinctive style of wall hanging. Tried and true design motifs were customized to meet the needs of international clientele. In this Torah Ark Curtain – the most sacred textile in the synagogue used to screen from view the Torah Ark in which the Torah scrolls were kept – Stars of David link the chains of the hanging lamps, whose forms evoke the Ner Tamid, the Eternal Light, always kept burning in the synagogue
Artwork Details
- Title: Torah Ark Curtain
- Date: ca. 1700
- Culture: Greek, Chios
- Medium: Figurative silk velvet (green pile on a voided satin ground fabric) with gilt metal-wrapped thread
- Dimensions: 59 1/16 × 51 3/16 in. (150 × 130 cm)
- Classifications: Judaica, Textiles-Velvets
- Credit Line: Purchase, Manda and Albert Kalimian Gift, in honor of Sabrina and Daniel Kalimian, 2026
- Object Number: 2026.333
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
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