Embroidered Torah mantle from the Ottoman Empire

The Torah mantle (me'il) is a flexible fabric cover that envelops the Torah scroll, when it is not kept in a rigid case, and is slipped over the staves to protect and adorn it. In the Ottoman Empire, these mantles represent a rich Sephardic textile art: they display gold and silver couching embroidery (metallic thread laid on the surface) on velvet grounds, adorned with floral motifs, vases, crowns, and the Tablets of the Law. This craft belongs to the great tradition of Ottoman gold embroidery, shared by workshops of several communities. The mantle forms part of the textile adornments of the scroll, along with the ark curtain and the binder.