Title
Scroll case, fitted with an Esther scroll
Year/Period
19th century
Region
Baghdad, Iraq
Object Type
Technique
Dimension
Gross measurement: 19.0 cm
Height of scroll 5.6 cm,
Object size: Scroll,
when closed: 4.2 x 3.0 x 19.4 cm,
Object size: Scroll,
when opened: 4.2 x 211.1 x 19.4 cm
Object size: Scroll,
when closed: 4.2 x 3.0 x 19.4 cm,
Object size: Scroll,
when opened: 4.2 x 211.1 x 19.4 cm
Accession No.
2021-00014
Collection of
Decorated with gilded floral motifs on a silver ground, 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). Inscriptions on the case tell us that it was commissioned by Zevi Hirsch of Manchester, England, from Baghdad goldsmith Ezekiel ben David Nawi. It is a valuable document of how Jewish community in western Europe maintained connections with their counterparts in Islamic countries through art patronage.
