Adorning Ritual
- Magazine Article
- Collection
A Second Installation of Ceremonial Artworks from the Jewish Museum, New York
Marriage Wall Panel or Tabletop, 1700s–early 1800s. Italy. Marble: inlaid with cut stones; 97.8 x 146.7 x 5.7 cm. The Jewish Museum, New York, Purchase: Gift in memory of Curtis Hereld; Edward and Helene Toledano Fund; Traditional Judaica Acquisitions Committee Fund; Dennis Stein Bequest; Judaica Endowment Fund; Phil and Norma Fine Fund; Gift in memory of Frieda and Felix Warburg and Edward M.M. Warburg; Gift of Dr. Harry G. Friedman, by exchange; Gifts of Alex Schmelzer, Lisa Rotmil, and Family; Helen and Jack Cytryn Fund; and Gifts of the Jewish Museum Volunteer Association and the Ellis Goodman Family Foundation, 2007-1. Photo courtesy of the Jewish Museum, New York
Because of the success of the first installation of loans from the Jewish Museum, New York, at the CMA, the museums have partnered again for a new display of Jewish ceremonial art. The Jewish Museum has one of the world’s largest and most important collections of Jewish ritual art. The concept of the new display has not changed since the first iteration. Again, the CMA showcases a group of important objects on loan in six permanent collection galleries, testifying to the presence of Jewish communities in different countries at different periods. These works teach about Jewish rituals, tell stories, and represent high-quality art.
This second installation from the Jewish Museum includes a silver presentation tray made in London in the early 1700s, an Italian Baroque marble marriage wall panel or tabletop, German neoclassical silver Torah finials, a Moroccan silver mezuzah cover, a Turkish copper-gilt Passover handwashing vessel and laver, and a Passover set after a 1930 design in the Bauhaus spirit.
In the prior installation, the CMA benefited from the closure of the Jewish Museum’s galleries in preparation for reinstallation. This time, the majority of the museum’s highlights have been reserved for their new galleries, due to open in fall 2025. Moreover, several other US museums have followed the CMA and are planning similar collaborations with the Jewish Museum. Since I was determined to maintain the highest quality of objects, the loan negotiations took longer.
Still, the result is stunning. I am most excited about the Italian marriage wall panel or tabletop. It is a monumental and rare work of art with interesting iconography, inlaid with many pieces of colored marble and other stones in the technique called pietre dure (hard stones). The grand architecture of the CMA’s 1916 building offers a particularly appropriate backdrop for the object. One other loan, technically not an example of ritual art but included because it is intertwined with the history of Jewish people in London, is a silver presentation tray for the City of London’s Lord Mayor given by the Jewish community of Bevis Marks Synagogue, the oldest continuously used synagogue in the United Kingdom.
The CMA is committed to incorporating Judaica in its galleries to ensure that our communities feel welcome and represented. Building up our own collection takes time, though we celebrate our first intentional acquisition of Jewish ceremonial art that has been on display since May: a silver etrog box by Ilya Schor, made in the United States in 1956. The museum is collaborating with other institutions at a local level as well—in fall 2024, a spectacular silver miniature Torah ark was installed in the Norma and Alfred Lerner Family Gallery (219), on loan from Mishkan Or Museum of Jewish Cultures in Beachwood, Ohio. We are pleased to share all these works with you.