Embroidered Torah binder (also known as "mapah" or "fascia"). Italy (Venice?), 1730/31.
Red linen; unbleached linen lining; green silk thread.
Red linen Torah binder. Dedicatory inscription, stretching the length of the binder, embroidered in green silk thread: " Handiwork of the maiden […] Laura daughter of […] Abraham Treves […], Year 5491 [1730-31]…" This inscription is encircled with patterns of flower buds, leaves, and flowers, all similarly embroidered in green.
Binders of this kind – made from one long piece of linen cloth and with an embroidered dedicatory inscription stretching almost its entire length – belong to one of four common types of Torah binders originating in Italy. More specifically, it represents a sub-group of binders which have many features in common. Bracha Yaniv ("Ma'aseh Rokem, " see below) addressed this subject as follows: "Among the binders… embroidered in the 18th century, the style of lettering characteristic of the printed 'Venice Haggadah' [of 1609] is standard. Letters such as these also characterize the group of binders embroidered in Venice by young girls, some of them employing colored linen […] It appears that the young embroiderers who embroidered these binders in the years 1725-61 were all guided by the same hand" (p. 86).
The vast majority of textile Torah accessories from Italy in our possession today bear embroidered inscriptions giving the names of the women who fashioned them and dedicated them to the synagogue. In the prayer rite of the Jewish community of Rome, there is even a special "Mi SheBerakh" ("He who has blessed…") prayer incorporated into the Sabbath Morning Service, dedicated specifically to those women who labored to produce textile accessories for Torah scrolls: "He who has blessed Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah, He shall bless every Daughter of Israel who produces a mantle or binder for the benefit of the Torah …". Such a prayer clearly demonstrates just how much importance was attached to the sacred objects created by these women. Thanks to humanist trends in Italy during the Renaissance and Post-Renaissance periods, Jewish women enjoyed enviable status, especially among the higher social classes. Historical documents point to individual Jewish women renowned in their time as authors, poets, artists, and merchants. And with specific regard to the subject at hand, many women played active roles in managing family textile businesses, distinguishing themselves as experts in the art of sewing and embroidery
The Treves family boasted a particularly noteworthy pedigree. As early as the 14th century, its members had established themselves in almost every corner of the Jewish world – in Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Russia, Turkey, and Palestine. Through the generations, the family produced no shortage of acclaimed rabbis, scholars, community leaders and generally influential personalities. The family name evolved over the years, assuming a variety of different versions and spellings, such as Triefus, Trefousse, Trèves, Treviess, Dreyfus, Triverzan, Tribas, and a host of other incarnations. Italy was home to an especially prominent branch of the family, with members serving as rabbis, rabbinical judges, and public figures in a number of important Italian Jewish communities.
Approx. 22X340 cm. Good condition. Losses to embroidery. Blemishes, minor open tears, and stains to lining. Possibly missing ribbon.
For a similar binder, see Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, "The Loom and the Cloth: An Exhibition of the Fabrics of Jewish Life." New York: The Jewish Museum, 1977, Item No. 21.
Reference: Bracha Yaniv, "Ma’aseh Rokem [Sacred Textile Objects in the Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Italian Synagogue]." Jerusalem: Yad Izhak Ben-Zvi, 2009 (Hebrew), p. 86.
Provenance: Finkelstein family collection.