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Obj. ID: 38504
Sacred and Ritual Objects
  Passover towel, Mulhouse, Alsace, 1799

© Gross Family Collection, Photographer: Bar Hama, Ardon, -

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The use of a decorated towel cover is a custom largely limited to the German-speaking areas in Europe. These covers are usually embroidered and date from the 18th and 19th centuries. This object was used to make the plain towel a decorative item for the festive evening.

Virtually all of the embroidered and painted 18th century Pesach towels extant in collections today originate in the areas of Alsace and southern Germany. They are generally filled with folk motifs, and each one has its own particular charm. Among the illustrations embroidered on this towel, there is a depiction of the biblical story of the spies returning from Canaan with the huge grapes carried on a pole over their shoulders. This particular motif is very directly derived from the engraving of the same subject by Matthaeus Merian, whose series of Biblical etchings from 1625 - 1630 remained influential for three centuries. This textile is both placed and dated at the very end of the eighteenth century from the city of Mulhouse in Alsace.

Inscription: A. A.

Summary and Remarks
Remarks

5 image(s)

sub-set tree:

Name/Title
Passover towel | Unknown
Object Detail
Monument Setting
Unknown
Date
1799
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Unknown
Origin
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community type
Congregation
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Unknown
Period Detail
Collection
Documentation / Research project
Unknown
Textual Content
Unknown |
Languages of inscription
Unknown
Shape / Form
Unknown
Material / Technique
Linen, Silk Thread, Metal Thread, Embroidery
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height: 38 cm, Length: 158 cm
Height
Length
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Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
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Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
0
Ornamentation
Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
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Number of Lines
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Pricking
Quires
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Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Coin
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Colophon
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Hallmark
Group
Group
Group
Group
Group
Trade Mark
Binding
Decoration Program
Suggested Reconsdivuction
History/Provenance
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Sources
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Architectural Drawings
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Computer Reconstruction
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Language Editor
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Negative/Photo. No.
The following information on this monument will be completed:
Unknown |