Esther scroll , The Ottoman Empire, 19th century
Wood, silk velvet, gilded metallic thread, glass beads, ink on parchment
Courtesy of the Gat Family Collection, Savyon Ganei Yehuda
The crescent at the top of the scroll symbolizes the Ottoman Empire and was used as a decorative motif by the empire Jews. The fabric covering and protecting the scroll parchment is made from a small fabric bag. Repurposing existing items for using with sacred objects was a common practice in the Ottoman Empire and is known as “secondary use.” Another example is the Etrog box presented here, which was originally a Torah finial. In Turkey, the backs of hand-mirrors were often turned into Torah shields, like the one presented here. In other instances embroidered dresses became Torah mantles or Torah ark curtains (Parochet).
