Embroidered circumcision cloth (Maon) from the Ottoman Empire

This ceremonial hanging or cloth was displayed during circumcision (brit mila) in Jewish communities of the Ottoman Empire, to adorn the setting of the ceremony of entry into the covenant. The brit mila, performed on the eighth day, is a solemn and festive moment in family and communal life, often associated with the symbolic seat of the prophet Elijah. Ottoman pieces were embroidered in gold thread with blessings and the motif of raised hands in the gesture of the priestly blessing, on silk. This textile object illustrates the ceremonial splendor and the richness of gold embroidery in Oriental Sephardic Judaism.