Painted Wooden Holy Ark (Aron Kodesh) from Poland

In the wooden synagogues of Eastern Europe, the holy ark was a tall, multi-tiered carved structure painted in vivid colors. Symbolic animals (lions, stags, eagles, griffins), flowering vases and biblical verses spread abundantly in the spirit of Ashkenazi folk art. Crowned with the Tablets of the Law, it formed the visual focus of prayer.