enlarge

Torah Binder
Germany, 1719
Linen, silk thread, embroidered

This Torah binder, a wimpel, represents an 18th-century example of a custom in German-speaking countries (evidence of the custom goes back at least 500 years). The cloth that held the baby at the circumcision was cut, generally into four strips, sewn together lengthwise and embroidered with a fairly standard formula, usually by the women of the household. This is particularly fine, full embroidery, depicting men holding the huppah (wedding canopy), a double-headed eagle, and a double-tailed lion, among other motifs. The depiction of the double-headed eagle with the heart is very similar to the imperial eagle of the Burgau area, leading us to believe that the wimpel is probably from that area. To complement the illustration of the Torah, the image of a tree is used, as the Torah is referred to as the "Tree of Life."

Inscribed: Uri bar Yehuda Aryeh

Height: 21.5 cm, Length: 284.5 cm