Teaching aide(?)

(ITALY)

Italian

18th-century

Brown ink on two pieces of vellum, connected by original thread. Italian cursive Hebrew script.

A miniature "model" of two of the principal priestly vestments (Bigdei Kehunah): The Ephod and the Choshen, each cut to resemble the shape of the respective garment. Their various component parts are identified or explained, the Ephod itself is likened to a "woman's apron," the hem of the Ephod is decorated, as stipulated, with bells and pomegranates. The Choshen, or breastplate, is inscribed with the names of the twelve tribes and the precious stones that represent them. An unusual curiosity, recently discovered within an antiquarian book.