Jews in Islamic visual arts and decoration (16th–19th century)

In medieval and Ottoman Islamic societies, Jewish artisans occupied a recognized place in several crafts, sometimes in specialties that Muslims avoided for religious or social reasons. They excelled notably in goldsmithing and jewelry, the working of precious metals, weaving and dyeing, and the fabrication of decorative objects. In Yemen, Morocco, the Ottoman Empire, and elsewhere, Jewish families transmitted renowned skills from generation to generation, and certain trades were even largely dominated by Jewish artisans. Their productions combined the Islamic ornamental vocabulary — interlacing, geometric and vegetal motifs, calligraphy — with Hebrew symbols and inscriptions, particularly for Jewish ritual objects. These creations testify to a creative everyday coexistence, in which aesthetic traditions mingled within a shared cultural space.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World — Brill
• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan