Free Delivery Over $100
|
|
|||
|
||||
OverviewNational 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. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Bracha YanivPublisher: Liverpool University Press Imprint: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization Weight: 0.368kg ISBN: 9781906764371ISBN 10: 1906764379 Pages: 320 Publication Date: 01 August 2017 Audience: General/trade , General Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: In Print  This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us. Table of ContentsNote on Transliteration Introduction PART I HISTORY AND CULTURE, FUNCTION AND DESIGN 1. The Emergence of the Torah Ark from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century 2. 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 CONTENT Introduction: The Architectural Structure of the Torah Ark 4. The Kingdom of God in the Little Sanctuary The Throne of Glory The Eagle as a Metaphor for God The Three Crowns Praise of God Perek shirah Music in the Temple 5. The Temple The 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 APPENDICES I. 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 Illustrations List of Institutions Bibliography IndexReviews'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 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 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 Author InformationBracha Yaniv is Professor Emerita of Jewish Art History at Bar-Ilan University, and founding editor of Ars Judaica: The Bar-Ilan Journal of Jewish Art. She is the author of The Carved Wooden Torah Arks of Eastern Europe (2017) and Ceremonial Synagogue Textiles from Ashkenazi, Sephardi, and Italian Communities (2019), both published by the Littman Library. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
||||
