Title
Scroll case, fitted with an Esther scroll
Year/Period
19th century
Region
Baghdad, Iraq
Object Type
Material
Technique
Dimension
Gross measurement: 17.9 cm
Height of scroll 6.6 cm,
Object size: Scroll,
when closed: 3.0 x 3.0 x 18.0 cm,
Object size: Scroll,
when opened: 3.0 x 16.8 x 18.0 cm
Object size: Scroll,
when closed: 3.0 x 3.0 x 18.0 cm,
Object size: Scroll,
when opened: 3.0 x 16.8 x 18.0 cm
Accession No.
2021-00013
Collection of
Decorated with gilded panels incised with vine and floral motifs, and with a bird finial atop a dome, this scroll case was made to house a scroll of Esther. The Hebrew Book of Esther, often referred to as “the Megillah”, is read out loud in the synagogue during the Jewish feast of Purim celebrated on the 14th of Adar (February or March). This Esther scroll case was in the collection of the Sassoons, a family of Baghdadi Jewish descent who moved to Bombay (Mumbai, India) and acquired immense wealth in the China trade in the 19th century.
