106 204 MAGNIFICENT BOHEMIAN SYNAGOGUE TORAH ARK CURTAIN. Silk floral brocade with large central velvet panel, intricate embroidery of gold, metallic and multi-colored silk threads, in a variety of stitches; featuring rampant lions atop flanking architectural columns, raising aloft a crown that is set on metal. Heavy block Hebrew inscribed below with dedication in honor of the eminent Rabbi Chaim Mumfeuer and his wife Madam Breinelah, followed by the Hebrew year and a vase of flowers below. The lions are, in the Prague style, adorned with crowns and feature double- tails. WITH: Matching Torah valance, which features furniture from Solomon’s Temple: The laver, altar, table of the shewbread and Menorah. All of which surround a Hebrew inscribed Decalogue that is topped with a crown. Each of the vessels is identified with Hebrew initial letters. Curtain: 38 x 58 inches (96.5 x 147.3 cm). Valance: 32.5 x 10 inches (82.5 x 25.4 cm). Fringes on three sides are later, as are bells below, upper hooks, and tassels hanging from valance. 1758. $12,000 - $18,000 ❧ In the distinctive Bohemian style, this is a complex and beautiful synagogue textile, whose rich Hebrew lettering and elaborate Judaic iconographic program are deeply imbued with religious faith and knowledge of cultural heritage. For Torah curtains that contain elements similar to the present one, see D. Altshuler, The Precious Legacy: Judaic Treasures from the Czechoslovak State Collections (1983) pp. 79 and 131.