Gold-glass base
Blown glass and gold leaf
Diam: 11.7; Th: 0.7 cm
Acquired in 1966 through the generosity of Jakob Michael, New York, in memory of his wife, Erna Sondheimer Michael; restituted in 2008 to the heirs to the Dzialynska Collection, Goluchow Castle, Poland, owners prior to World War II; acquired in 2008 by Dr. David and Jemima Jeselsohn, Zurich, and now on extended loan to the Israel Museum
2008.22/1
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).
Israeli, Yael, Ancient Glass in the Israel Museum: The Eliahu Dobkin Collection and Other Gifts, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Israel, 2003
Zalmona, Yigal, ed., The Israel Museum at 40: Masterworks of Beauty and Sanctity, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2005
The Israel Museum, Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2005
Beauty and Sanctity: the Israel Museum at 40. A Series of Exhibitions Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Zalmona, Yigal, 2006
3x50@50: IMJ Collection Highlights, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2015
Perugia, Gioia (ed.), Treasures of Jewish Art: The Jakob, Erna, and Charles Michael Legacy in the Israel Museum, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2016
The Beauty of Sanctity: Masterworks from Every Age, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 29/03/2005 - 12/11/2005
