Commemorative Ark Curtain from Prague

This parokhet (ark curtain) was drawn before the holy ark of the synagogue, housing the Torah scrolls. In Prague, an important center of Central European Judaism, these curtains were frequently offered in memory of a deceased person or on the occasion of an event, and bear an embroidered dedication mentioning the donor, sometimes with the Hebrew date. Made of silk and velvet, embroidered with gold and silver thread, they display motifs of twisted columns framing a central niche, as well as crowns and cultic symbols. These parokhot rank among the most precious witnesses to the ceremonial textiles of the Bohemian communities, a rich ensemble of which has been preserved.