
This object, from the Jewish catacombs of Rome, is made from two layers of translucent glass encasing gold leaf. It is actually the base of a vessel, which was probably used in funerary banquets. After the walls of the vessel were intentionally broken, the base was affixed near a burial niche as a tomb marker.
The base depicts a Torah Ark, its doors open wide to reveal three shelves of scrolls. The ark is accompanied by Jewish symbols: the menorah (seven-branched candelabrum), lulav (palm branch), etrog (citron), and shofar (ram’s horn).
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Perugia, Gioia (ed.), Treasures of Jewish Art: The Jakob, Erna, and Charles Michael Legacy in the Israel Museum, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2016, English
The Beauty of Sanctity: Masterworks from Every Age, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 29/03/2005 - 12/11/2005