This eighteenth century Torah Mantle is made of several sections of fabric sewn together in long horizontal seams. It is a prime example of how rich fabrics were taken from other sources and remade into beautiful ceremonial objects. One of the Jewish occupations was to sell used fabrics; when there was an especially beautiful piece, the Jews would reuse it for a ritual object. This is likely where the silk for this Torah Mantle came from.
The Torah Mantle itself is made of luxurious deep green silk. Exotic red and gold flowers create a sumptuous pattern on the fabric through a technique called Spolinato, which integrates colorful threads into the weave of the textile. Jews could not always afford full rolls of expensive fabric, so they would compile swatches to make beautiful ceremonial objects.
The fabric for the Torah Mantle was pieced together by Rivka Chefetz (Gentili), likely for one of the synagogues in the ghetto. On the back side made silk fabric is an inscription embroidered in silk raised threads. The inscription reads:
נדבת הבתלה מרת רבקה בת יורא חפץ שנת ת'ק'ל'ו' לפרט"ק
Gift of Ms. Rivka daughter of Yora Hefetz, year 5536 (1776)
The Chefetz (Gentili) family was well-known in Venice beginning in the eighteenth century. One of the documents in this exhibition, dated from the eighteenth century, grants the Chefetz (Gentili) family permission to open a woolen Tallit (prayer shawl) factory in Venice. The Torah Mantle represents an intersection of the ritual, feminine, and business aspects of the Jewish community in the ghetto.