Description
Book SynopsisNational Jewish Book Awards Finalist for the Visual Arts Award, 2017. The carved wooden Torah arks found in eastern Europe from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries were magnificent structures, unparalleled in their beauty and mystical significance. The work of Jewish artisans, they dominated the synagogues of numerous towns both large and small throughout the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, inspiring worshippers with their monumental scale and intricate motifs. Virtually none of these superb pieces survived the devastation of the two world wars. Bracha Yaniv’s pioneering work therefore breathes new life into a lost genre, making it accessible to scholars and students of Jewish art, Jewish heritage, and religious art more generally. Making use of hundreds of pre-war photographs housed in local archives, she develops a vivid portrait of the history and artistic development of these arks, the scope and depth of her meticulous research successfully compensating for the absence of physical remains. In this way she has succeeded in producing a richly illustrated and comprehensive overview of a classic Jewish religious art form. Professor Yaniv’s analysis of the historical context in which these arks emerged includes a broad survey of the traditions that characterized the local workshops of Lithuania, Belarus, and Ukraine. She also provides a detailed analysis of the motifs carved into the Torah arks and explains their mystical significance, among them representations of Temple imagery and messianic themes—and even daring visual metaphors for God. Fourteen arks are discussed in particular detail, with full supporting documentation; appendices relating to the inscriptions on the arks and to the artisans’ names will further facilitate future research. This seminal work throws new light on long-forgotten traditions of Jewish craftsmanship and religious understanding.
Trade Review'Bracha Yaniv has made a meticulous study of lost arks and of the lost Jewish crafts of joinery, woodcarving, painting and gilding that made them possible. She demonstrates that these arks cannot be dismissed as mere folk art. They exhibit a high level of artistic accomplishment.’
Sharman Kadish,
Jewish Chronicle'Bracha Yaniv’s book addresses a wide audience; for scholars it is an excellent source book, a cradle of new ideas, but it is accessible to readers who are less familiar with Judaism and Jewish visual culture... This book is not only a pleasure to hold, see, and read, but it opens new horizons for many professionals who research Jewish visual culture.'
Prof. Rudolf Klein,
BRILL'Bracha Yaniv’s book addresses a wide audience; for scholars it is an excellent source book, a cradle of new ideas, but it is accessible to readers who are less familiar with Judaism and Jewish visual culture. The large-format book is graphically coherent, with only historic photographs that were edited to be similar in tonal gamut and micro-contrast, all black and white. On pages without illustrations beautiful portrayals of the Torah arks adorn the pages, in abstracted form, enriching the aesthetically pleasing layout and well chosen typography. This book is not only a pleasure to hold, see, and read, but it opens new horizons for many professionals who research Jewish visual culture.'
Prof. Rudolf Klein,
IMAGESTable of ContentsNote on TransliterationIntroductionPART I HISTORY AND CULTURE, FUNCTION AND DESIGN1. The Emergence of the Torah Ark from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century2. Historical and Cultural Background
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Rise of Hasidism and the Influence of Kabbalah
3. Construction and Design
Crafts, Artisans, and Workshops
The Lithuanian Workshop of Jacob ben Solomon of Raseinai
The Workshop of the Vase in a Niche
The Rococo-Style Workshop
The Belarusian Workshop
The Ukrainian Workshop
Constructing the Ark
Building
Materials and Techniques
Style and Design
PART II FORM AND CONTENTIntroduction: The Architectural Structure of the Torah Ark4. The Kingdom of God in the Little SanctuaryThe Throne of Glory
The Eagle as a Metaphor for God
The Three Crowns
Praise of God
Perek shirahMusic in the Temple
5. The TempleThe Gateway to Heaven
The Passageway
The Inscription
Avinu Malkenu Yakhin and Boaz
The Ark of the Covenant and the Temple Appurtenances
The
Kaporet and the Cherubim
The Tree of Life: Symbol of the Torah
The Seven-Branched Menorah
Introduction
The Menorah and the Showbread Table
The Menorah as a Solitary Motif
The Menorah in Zechariah’s Vision
The Menorah as a Mystical Symbol
The Temple Rituals:
Avodat Hakodesh The Sacrificial Offerings
The Priestly Blessing
Offering of the First Fruits
6. Messianic Expectations
Personal Redemption: The Leviathan and the Ox
National Redemption
Aaron’s Rod, the Manna Jar, and the Jug of Anointing Oil
The Four Species and the Shofar
PART III APPENDICESI. Fourteen Torah Arks: Comprehensive Description, Technical Data, and Supporting Documentation
Introduction
1. Kamyanka-Buzka, Western Ukraine, c.1775
2. Vyzˇuonos, Central Lithuania, 1784
3. Zabłudów, North-East Poland, 1765
4. Druya, Northern Belarus, 1774/5
5. Zelva, Western Belarus, 1849/50
6. Lukiv, Western Ukraine, c.1781
7. Hrodna, Western Belarus, Late Eighteenth Century
8. Nowe Miasto nad Pilica˛, East-Central Poland, after 1800
9. Sˇauke˙nai, Central Lithuania, 1885/6
10. Przedbórz, Central Poland, c.1775
11. Valkininkai, South-East Lithuania, 1804
12. Ke˛pno, West-Central Poland, 1816/17
13. Vowpa, Western Belarus, 1781
14. Unidentified Ark, Ukraine, Nineteenth Century
II. Biblical Quotations and Liturgical Phrases Adorning the Arks
III. Carpenters and Woodcarvers of Arks
IV. Alphabetical List of the Arks Comprising the Visual Database for This Study
List of IllustrationsList of InstitutionsBibliographyIndex
