This rock crystal ewer, found today in the Treasury of the Church of San Marco in Venice, is a unique testament to the height of rock crystal production at the court of the Fatimid caliphs in 11th-century Cairo.
Dr. Ariel Fein
The glass lamps of sultan Hassan’s mosque portrayed him as a devout and powerful ruler long after his death.
A glass lamp: illuminating sultan Hassan’s mosque ...
Poetry is central to this bowl—Persian and Arabic poems encircle the vessel on both its exterior and interior.
Artist, scribe, and poet: Abu Zayd and ...
The legends, rituals, and decoration of a Tunisian synagogue reflect the Jewish community’s long history in the region and their adoption of local practices.
Architecture and ritual in the Ghriba synagogue, ...
Mamluk sultan al-Nasir Muhammad's candlestick base exemplifies a new visual language of power that emerged in 14th-century Egypt and Syria.
A Mamluk candlestick base
With two figures representing the Church and the Synagogue, this work demonstrates how Carolingians were negotiating the relationship between Christianity and Judaism
Depicting Judaism in a medieval Christian ivory
One Torah’s decoration—from Iraq to China and India—reveals global artistic and cultural connections in the 19th century.
Chinese export silver, a 19th-century Torah case
This unfinished Hebrew manuscript meant for a Passover ritual helps us understand how medieval manuscripts were made
The Prato Haggadah
This illuminated manuscript of the Ardashirnama reveals how 17th-century Iranian Jews visually and poetically emphasized their identities as both Iranian and Jewish.
The Ardashirnama: a Judeo-Persian manuscript
This unfinished Hebrew manuscript meant for a Passover ritual helps us understand how medieval manuscripts were made
The Prato Haggadah
This ornamented silver cup tells a story about a prominent Jewish man close to rulers and European courts at a time when Jewish life was restricted
Joachim Michael Salecker, Cup with cover with ...
An exceptional example of Byzantine craftsmanship, this shimmering icon was taken from Constantinople to Venice during the Crusades
Icon of the Archangel Michael
The medieval architecture and decoration of the Ben Ezra Synagogue reflect the Egyptian Jewish community's connections to the local visual culture.
The Ben Ezra Synagogue, Fustat, Egypt
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Coming Soon: Jewish art in Spain, ...
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Coming Soon: Framing Jewish Art
This Muslim prayer carpet shares striking visual similarities to a Jewish carpet meant to cover the Torah ark
Ottoman prayer carpet with triple-arch design
Jewish ceremonial art reflects the artistic styles of the cultures among which Jewish communities have lived.
Jewish ceremonial art
This essay explores the vibrant artistic tradition that developed around the Torah and its decoration.
The Torah and its adornment
What prompted the fourth–century Jewish community of Hammath Tiberias to adorn their house of worship with an image of Sol, a prominent Roman deity?
Mosaic decoration at the Hammath Tiberias synagogue
Pages dyed pink, script from the Maghreb, and gold medallions make this Qu'ran especially spectacular
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